Stranger Things Have Happened
by Yuuki0hime
Summary: FemNaru. Tobi, Kakashi, and Naruto's jutsus fused with each other; sending the Savior of the World off into another dimension/world. A young Kagome finds the blonde, unconscious, and yells for her mother. Years later, our favorite ninja goes on strange adventures that make B-rank missions seem like child's play.
1. Pilot

**AN:**

**Hey, peeps! How's it goin'? I've had this idea pokin' around my head, and I wanted to get it out of my system. I don't really know if it would portray similar characters as in canon, but for Naruto, I made her a bit more like Erza from Fairy Tail. **

**Anyways, like with "Orange's Will," please help me come up with other plot ideas and improve my writings. **

**Thank you!**

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

"Kakashi, can you still use your **Kamui**?" Gai inquired, sweat rolling down his neck. He didn't know how much longer he could fight.

"Yeah, no more than two. After that, I'm out," the Copy-Cat shinobi replied solemnly. Like Gai, Kakashi didn't know whether they would see the end to this battle.

But then, Naruto's voice spoke to the two jounins resolutely, "Let's do this in one shot, guys!" trying to encourage them to continue.

The teen began to create a **Rasenshuriken**, in all of her bijuu-mode-glory. As she ran towards Tobi- Obito-, both he and Kakashi used their **Kamui** at the same time. Of course, the **Rasenshuriken** was redirected to hit a **Jikukan**-free part of Obito's body, but an unfamiliar set of hand seals were used by the Uchiha.

The space around the Jinchuriki distorted from the **Kamui** and the odd technique, fusing with Naruto's bijuu-chakra and **Rasenshuriken**. With a loud pop, the Savior of the World disappeared from her dimension.

* * *

A thirteen-year old Higurashi Kagome was sweeping her shrine-home's grounds, when she heard a weird popping noise. Turning towards the direction of the sound, the girl found an unconscious, older female lying in front of the well-house.

Kagome ran into her house and yelled, "Mama!" frantically.

The unconscious female slept on, her visage expressing great anguish.

* * *

**Hmm… Kinda similar pilot to my other story.**


	2. Into the Well

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

**TWO YEARS LATER:**

"Kagome, it's time to get up!" a mature, female voice called out.

"Hai~!" a younger female replied, getting out of her bed. Today was like any other day in Higurashi Kagome's life: get up, eat breakfast, go to school, hang out with friends, and come back home. However, she was very excited for today because the teen would be turning fifteen!

At the breakfast table, for a bizarre reason, Kagome's grandfather began telling a story about where their pickles came from; but a blonde female interrupted, "They have no history, except that they came from Ujiko-san, Jiji."

During the past two years since Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto's appearance, the Higurashi family felt like a bigger and livelier family. Initially, they were a little suspicious of the blonde, mostly because of the foreign-look she had and the weapons the teen carried. There were also bloodstains, some unfamiliar inscriptions on rectangular pieces of paper, and an odd...'not-of-this-era' kind of impression Naruto emitted. Besides, who in the world wore such blinding combination of color? Talk about eyesore, it made Little Souta dizzy enough to pass out.

Then, when stranger awoke, she was startled to not be in a battlefield. Also finding out that this was the year two-thousand, and that the girl was currently a place called 'Tokyo, Japan' perplexed Naruto. Just what did the fusion of jutsu _do_ to her! It didn't appear to be a genjutsu, and was too other-worldly for any other shinobi to simulate. And the worst thing ever was that NO ONE has ever heard of chakra! It was a civilian-run world!

Naruto began to go hysterical, but a loud "shut up!" from Kurama calmed her down. Kurama never talked to her, unless something important was happening! In addition to her incessant distress, the Higurashi's elder told her that this probably wasn't her world.

At first, his own family was skeptical about his quick assumptions in response to Naruto's out-worldly tale, it was crazy! But Kagome's mother was quite open-minded, so she decided to believe the dimension-traveler if her father-in-law did.

In the end, they were weird people, the blonde concluded. A good kind of weird. Many would think Naruto as insane, but they didn't. This little family of four took her in and showed her the ropes of this world's society. Of course, the troublemaker's mischievious side absolutely LOVED the more creative aspects of this life. She just HAD to get the thing called a 'whoopie-cushion'!

Therefore, over the two years in the Higurashi's home, Naruto spent free-time researching ways to return to her world; and going to school... again. Both were difficult for the teen. No one in this place seemed to have anything of the supernatural or shinobi-like! The only 'ninjas' they had were 'assassins' that wore black clothing and masks, throwing cheap imitation of kunai and shuriken. The only jutsu those 'ninjas' possessed were mostly of shoddy misdirection uses like smoke bombs or elementary camouflage-tarps. It was insulting!

There was no way that Naruto would like attending school...again. Who the hell thought that all kids below eighteen HAD to go to school! This was a conspiracy! Everywhere she went, the blonde experienced some kind of pain or annoyance along the way! Furthermore, it was boring! Most of the classes were just sitting and taking notes! The only exercise she got was from the 'P.E.' class, but that was a warm up in her world!

However, Naruto had no choice. If she had her way, the temperamental offspring of the Yellow Flash and Red Hot-Blooded Habanero would've just said, "Fuck this!" and **Rasengan** the damn school! Alas, the stubborn blonde couldn't; her alibi was that she was a victim of long term-amnesia attack. In order to blend in with the rest of society, the great Savior of the World had to attend to the 'evil' thing called school.

Although it was pure torture for the energetic teen, once she graduated, Naruto had mellowed out a bit, possessing a 'cool and spicy' attitude that her peers adored at times. That was because she didn't know how long she would stay in this world. No point on gaining unwanted attention when you want to 'disappear' from the public. Even though the blonde searched and searched, nothing about chakra existed; and the teen and Kurama couldn't figure out why the fusion of techniques sent her here. So until they could find a clue to finding a way home, Naruto spent most of her time getting part-time jobs and training in the small forest of trees on the shrine-grounds.

Mama, as Kagome's mother told Naruto to call her, had done so much for the blonde, and the Namikaze-Uzumaki's moral principles clearly demanded the shinobi to repay the debt. Discovering that the Sunset Shrine wasn't doing so well in the modern economy, the shinobi worked diligently to help pay for the finances. Mama nearly cried in happiness for Naruto's thoughtfulness. Eventually, the Higurashis sort of adopted the blonde, thus she became the eldest daughter in the family.

The thirteen-year old Kagome whole-heartedly accepted the change. Souta was a little too young to understand, but was happy that his temporary pranking partner had become somewhat-permanent.

Back in the present, the undeterred grandpa began to scold Naruto for ruining his 'awesome' story-telling. The three Higurashi children ignored the ramblings, preferring to finish their meals.

Once they were done, Naruto had come outside to walk her siblings to school, becoming quite the caring older sister, since she had always been an orphan. Family was a soft spot in her heart.

She and Kagome had walked across the front yard when they saw Souta coming out of the well-house. "Souta, you shouldn't play in the shrine," Kagome chided.

"But Buyo is in there," the young boy protested.

"Inside the well?" Naruto inquired with a quirked eyebrow. What was that fat cat doing?

* * *

"Wah! It's creepy, Kagome-nee!" Souta whined in fright.

Kagome rolled her eyes, while the blonde sister said, "Souta, man up. If Buyo went down there _bravely_, it shouldn't be too bad."

Then, Kagome went down to get their cat. She didn't notice how the closed well was rattling violently, but Naruto did.

The shinobi jumped, shouting in alarm, "Kagome!"

The younger girl looked up in surprise, not seeing the numerous pairs of arms grabbing her. "Wha..." she breathed in shock, turning to gaze at the inhuman creature that had captured her.

Naruto had taken a hold of Kagome's arm, trying to tug her away from the fiend. However, the blonde didn't anticipate the inhuman strength it had; and was pulled down the well, along with her sister.

"My body...it's growing back. You have it, don't you!" the horrendous centipede-hybrid spoke, a hungry glint in its eyes.

"Let go!" the fifteen-year old cried, shoving an open-palmed hand into the creature's face. Bright, blinding light came out of her hand, disintegrating the arm that was imprisoning her.

'What was that?' Naruto thought, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Damn you... I won't let you go, Shikon...no...Tama..." the fiend declared in a fading hiss, falling into the deep, dark depths below.

"Kagome!" Naruto exclaimed anxiously. Shikon no Tama? Wasn't that just a fairytale?

"Nee-chan!" the younger girl called out, trying to go towards her sister.

* * *

Suddenly, both girls dropped onto the well's floor, a decaying arm lying beside them.

"Let's get outta' here," the blonde stated firmly, dragging the dark-haired girl to the wall of the well. The shinobi took a chakra-enhanced leap, taking herself and her sister out into an open clearing. This was NOT the shrine, Naruto concluded in shock.

Kagome mumbled to herself, thinking that the house was just a little way down the forest. She ran off, making Naruto come after her, yelling, "Wait, 'Gome! This isn't home!"

The two girls made it to where their Goshinboku Tree was supposed to be, being greeted with the sight of a slumbering creature. It was a silver-haired male, but instead of human ears, he had dog ears. He wore a bright red Hakama, and appeared to be stuck to the tree by an aging arrow.

"What is this?" Naruto breathed in incredulity. This wasn't their home! Hell, this didn't even look like their TIME!

* * *

**Ooooh, I love this manga/anime! But does anyone know if I got Inuyasha's clothing right? I didn't know whether to call it a haori, hakama, or kimono.**


	3. Inuyasha

Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

Kagome couldn't help it, and went up to touch the dog-boy's ears. Naruto sweatdropped, not understanding her sister's weird fetish for nonhuman ears.

"Hey, what are you doing!" a male voice cried out in alarm, "This land is forbidden!"

The Higurashi sisters turned towards the direction of the voice in surprise and confusion. "Huh?"

* * *

"I'm telling you, her hair is naturally that color!" a frustrated Kagome yelled out, for what felt like the tenth time. She knew that her sister's appearance seemed that of a foreigner, but she was one-hundred percent Japanese in this world! Why couldn't anyone else accept that?

"Lies!" claimed one of the men who found the girls. No one of their lands had yellow hair!

"By the way, you didn't have to tie me up!" Kagome continued, ignoring the repetitive answer. Back in the forest, the weird men had bound the sisters in ropes, dragging them to the center of the village they were currently in. The younger sister noticed how the people dressed like those of the Sengoku Jidai, and it was perplexing.

On the other hand, Naruto just stared blankly at the sky; channeling her inner Nara, not at all interested in the debate. She could escape whenever she wanted, but the shinobi decided to observe her surroundings from the corner of her eyes. Coming to a conclusion, the blonde confirmed that this place was not Tokyo, and it looked like a scene from one of those Sengoku Jidai movies she watched a year ago. Naruto and her sister were most likely a few hundred years in the past.

"Miko Kaede-sama, we have brought suspicious foreigners in Inuyasha's Forest!" the same man from before reported to an elderly woman. The 'miko' was an aging-hunched over woman that wore an eye-patch that reminded Naruto of Kakashi. It was a little amusing because the blonde imagined that the 'miko' was what Kakashi would've looked like if he was an old woman.

Gazing at each girl in turn, Kaede inquired, "Who are you? And why were you in Inuyasha's Forest?" None of the girls spoke, and Kaede must've noticed something interesting because she was scrutinizing Kagome with a thoughtful look on her face. "You...you resemble Kikyou-oneesama," the elderly woman breathed in shock.

"Eh?" Kagome wondered in bafflement. What was this weirdo going on about?

* * *

"My sister was called Kikyou, and she was a miko that protected this village. It has been fifty years since she passed away," a soup-brewing Kaede informed her two impromptu guests. They had gone in with the elder, now rope-free and sitting near a fire pit.

As the three females ate their meal, Kagome asked meekly, "Um... this isn't Tokyo, is it?"

"I have never heard of it. Is that your province?" the elderly woman replied, curious as to what this...'Tokyo' place was.

"Mah, you could say that," Naruto vaguely supplied, her outward façade as a laid-back individual, while she went over her current situation in her mind.

Suddenly, a series of quakes shook the ground, and people could be heard screaming outside. The blonde stood up quickly, unsealing a kunai from a seal on her wrist. Kaede had no time to ask how the girl had done that, as an injured horse broke through the entrance. The three people ran out, witnessing chaos caused by the centipede-hybrid from that morning.

The creature glanced Kagome's way, speeded towards her, and shouted, "Give me the Shikon no Tama!" Its teeth were bared open wide, but Naruto had interfered with its progress by stabbing its chest with a wind chakra-laced kunai.

The fiend yowled in pain, recoiling away a few feet.

"Y-you... you're carrying the Shikon?" a shocked Kaede questioned Kagome.

"I-I don't know," the girl replied in puzzlement, then watched the hybrid wreak havoc. "I have to lead her away from the village!" the apparent-Shikon guardian exclaimed determinedly.

"We must drive it back to the old dry well," Kaede stated, gazing at the creature thrashing around.

"Dry well!" Kagome asked. Was that the same well she came out of?

"It's in Inuyasha's Forest!" the startled elder told the girl.

"Which way it that in!" the younger girl demanded in haste.

"To the east…" the miko informed in confusion.

"Where that bright light is...I got it!" Kagome announced loudly, running towards the forest she came out of earlier.

"Kagome, what are you doing!" a defending Naruto called out to her departing sister. This was a dangerous problem!

Then, Kaede halted in her steps, thinking in incredulity, 'What was it that the girl just said? In that forest full of evil, she could see it?'

* * *

"Give me the Shikon no Tama!" the centipede-hybrid ordered, chasing after the girl running in front. Naruto was trying to catch up, but carrying an insistent miko on her back as she leaped across the trees was slowing the shinobi down.

"Kuso!" the blonde cursed, worried that she wouldn't get there in time.

Quite a distance ahead, Kagome, dropped to the floor after an attempt on her person, and heard a boy say, "What are you doing with that weak centipede?"

"Wha...?" the ducking girl let out, confused as to where that voice was coming from. She stood up to be met with a sight with a conscious dog-boy from the forest.

"Finish this in a single blow, Kikyou, like when you killed me," the boy stated, cocky attitude present in his speech.

Still uncomprehending, Kagome replied, "Kikyou? What are you saying? My name is-"

But she couldn't vocalize the rest of her sentence when the boy looked up and said, "Here it comes."

Then, the centipede-thing came crashing down in front of the girl, attempting to grab its target. Alas, it was deterred when sharp spears stabbed it from behind. Next, Naruto appeared in midair, sending a harsh kick to the fiend's head, which threw it away from her sister. The blonde went after the thing, making sure to tie it up with the rope she had been given in advance.

"Heh, I'm disappointed, Kikyou," the dog-boy spoke, sneering at Kagome.

The girl stood up in his face and insisted, "Hey, I think you're mistaking me for someone else… I'm not this Kikyou person."

"Keh," the boy scoffed, bellowing, "Go stuff it! No one else smells this disgusting except..." he trailed off, taking a second sniff of air. "You're not her," he corrected himself.

Exasperated, the female facing him snapped, "Get it now? My name is Kagome! Ka. Go. Me!" as she pointed a forefinger at him with each syllable.

The rude boy turned his head to the side and grumbled in a low tone, "Kikyou is far more intelligent-looking… and beautiful." That statement made Kagome angry.

An abrupt crash froze the pair's conversation as the fiend returned, once again. It snatched the girl, but the human had grabbed onto the dog-boy's hair instinctively.

"Ow, ow, ow! Leggo!" he cried out in mild pain.

"I'll devour you whole...Shikon no Tama and all!" the hybrid cackled hungrily.

'Shikon no Tama?' the boy thought skeptically.

Nearby, the villagers were shocked to see him awake. 'How was Inuyasha awake? The seal ought to have remained unbroken?' Kaede thought in bewilderment.

"Kagome!" Naruto yelled anxiously. The blonde moved to harm the fiend again, but the elderly miko stopped her with an arm.

"No!" the elder cried in alarm, "Inuyasha has woken. It will most likely be two evil creatures against us all."

But before the shinobi could protest, Kagome exclaimed, "Stop it!" and shoved a hand in the fiend's direction, emitting the bright energy like she did that morning. Of course, and like earlier, the monster's limbs were burnt from its main body. However, that did not stop the enemy from biting into the girl's side, which released a small marble onto the forest-floor.

Concerned, Naruto attempted to run over to her wounded sister, but the centipede-thing slammed its lower body above. The blonde had to jump out of the way.

Kagome ended up being squashed between the monster's long body and newly-identified Inuyasha.

"Hmm... a hanyou?" the centipede-hybrid commented, seeing the dog-boy pinned to the tree.

Hit at a sore spot, Inuyasha stated cockily, "Don't underestimate me, Mistress Centipede. When I fight seriously, you'll just be a small-fry."

"It looks as though your power is being sealed, isn't it? You just stay there and watch," Mistress Centipede spoke, swallowing the Shikon no Tama.

"Oh crap!" Inuyasha shouted in dread. It was the same with the villagers. Naruto was more worried about her sister, so she made a clone and began to form a **Rasengan**. The others were surprised to witness the mysterious abilities she displayed. Just what was she?

The centipede-monster observed the swirling orb or energy, thinking that nothing could affect her, now that she possessed the Shikon no Tama.

"**Rasengan**!" the blonde girl called out, leaping in the air to ram the thing into the fiend's chest. Mistress Centipede howled in pain, but cackled happily a few seconds later. The skin on the monster began to peel off like snake skin, revealing a truly ugly version of herself.

"Hahaha! My powers, they've finally returned!" the upgraded centipede declared in glee. She tightened her grip on Kagome and the tree, squeezing the air out of the girl's lungs.

"Oi, can you pull this arrow out?" Inuyasha requested; a somber expression on his face.

The girl struggled almost pulled out the arrow, but Kaede objected fiercely, "You must not pull it out! That arrow is Inuyasha's seal! He must not be freed!"

Irritated, the dog-boy snapped, "Are you stupid, Babaa? Do you want to be centipede bait? If the Shikon no Tama is completely absorbed, it's the end!" Looking down to Kagome, he prodded in haste, "How 'bout it, girl! You wanna die here?"

In response, the girl grabbed the arrow, which vanished the moment she touched it. "The arrow!" Kaede cried out in shock.

The now-free Inuyasha laughed in triumph, leaping over to attack the centipede. "**Sankon Tesso (Iron Reaver Soul Stealer)**!" he shouted, tearing his enemy to pieces. But the pieces were beginning to move.

"No way," Kagome gasped, disbelief written all over her face.

Kaede came over with Naruto and told the younger Higurashi girl, "Do you see a glowing piece flesh? The Shikon no Tama should be in there."

Kagome glanced over to the piles of flesh and saw a piece shining a faint pink. "Here it is!" she announced, grabbing the marble out of the corpse. Scrutinizing the object, the girl spoke to herself, "The Shikon no Tama is actually something that makes youkai stronger?"

"That's right. To humans like you, it's just a useless ball," Inuyasha answered casually, smirking widely. "Now be a good girl and hand it over," he demanded with a raised hand.

Naruto came up to stand between the two, kunai raised in a defensive stance. "Stay away from my sister," she hissed at the boy.

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed, leaping forward to attack the blonde. The shinobi jumped away from the attempt, doing a midair-summersault to kick him down. The dog-boy smacked onto the ground in a small crater.

The villagers were buzzing in astonishment, not believing that a human girl could harm one of youkai-blood. "What a bother," Kaede sighed, taking out a bead necklace.

Kagome had backed away to another tree, trying to make herself look inconspicuous as her sister and the dog-boy fought. The teen knew that her sister was an out-worldly shinobi, but to find out just how strong the blonde was first-hand was amazing!

"Buzz off already!" Inuyasha yelled, running to use his deadly nails again. Naruto did not reply, preferring to make clones. Three appeared, sprinting quickly his way.

Then, Kaede's bead necklace bound itself onto the hanyou's neck. "Kagome, speak the subduing word! Any word will do! Just make Inuyasha quiet!" the elder ordered the nervous girl.

"Even if you say that..." Kagome began, but the dog-boy came to attack her way. He really didn't want to be subdued. Unfortunately for him, a Naruto-clone roundhouse-kicked him away, and the younger Higurashi exclaimed rapidly, "Sit boy!"

Inuyasha smacked, face-first, onto the ground.

*BAM*

Steadily, he sat up, struggling to take off the necklace.

Kaede informed him, "It's useless, Inuyasha. That rosary subdues your power."

"Hell no!" the hanyou objected angrily.

"Kagome," the elder miko requested.

"Sit," the girl said, fascinated by the rosary's effect on Inuyasha.

*BAM*

* * *

Villagers gathered around Kaede's hut as its owner, Naruto, Kagome, and Inuyasha rested in it. Kagome was having her wound cleaned and bandaged, twitching in pain at times.

"It's going to be a problem with the Shikon resurfacing," the miko remarked in dread.

"What do you mean, Babaa?" Naruto asked, adopting Inuyasha's nickname for the old woman.

"Evil beings will come after the jewel," Kaede replied vaguely.

"Like youkai?" Kagome inquired with curiosity.

"Not just them, but people with evil in their hearts as well. The Shikon no Tama's power helps those who possess it by achieving all of their desires," the elder lectured on in a solemn voice.

"Then why does Inuyasha want it?" the younger Higurashi wanted to know. He was already strong as it is.

"Probably because he's a 'hanyou'," Naruto assumed in a bland tone. Channeling her inner Nara again, the blonde laid down on her back, closing her eyes in relaxation.

Inuyasha, who was also lying down, sat up abruptly and punched the wood floor, making a small hole. "Hey, Babaa, It's been getting on my nerves, but how do you know me?" he questioned forcefully.

Kaede sighed and replied amusedly, "I might not look like my younger-self, but I am Kaede- Kikyou's younger sister."

"Kaede?" Inuyasha repeated, his memories jogging a little slowly.

"It's been fifty years since you've been sealed, so I have aged as well," the miko remarked casually.

"If you're that brat, then that means that Kikyou is a total hag too?" Inuyasha wondered aloud.

"My sister is dead," Kaede stated nostalgically, "the same day you were sealed."

Face betraying no turmoil, the hanyou spoke cockily, "Heh! Too bad for that bitch, eh? What a relief," then went back to lying on the ground.

"It's too early for that," the elder miko disagreed.

"Huh?" the three youngsters- in her opinion- let out in mystification.

* * *

Kagome walked around the village in thought, just like Inuyasha and Naruto. To think she was the reincarnation of the great Kikyou; it was mind-boggling. The villagers also heard that information, so they began to offer fruits and vegetables to the uncomfortable reincarnation. Naruto took advantage of that and began feasting on the fresh fruits contently.

Eventually, the two found Inuyasha perched up in a tree, and sat down to eat the food. However, the rude hanyou called Kagome a bitch, so Naruto gave him a Tsunade-style punt into the air. The victim of Inuyasha's insults also said 'sit', which made the flying person drop into the river next to them.

* * *

During the night, Kagome slept in a homesick manner, not noticing a crow-youkai watching from the window. A rock shot towards the thing, making it caw angrily at a shadowed Inuysha, who scared it off into the night sky.

"Hmm... Didn't think you cared," a still-awake Naruto commented, somewhat-interested by Inuyasha's actions.

"Keh," he scoffed. "That's a shibugarasu (Dancing Corpse Crow). It must've noticed the scent of the Shikon. It might come back to steal it, that's all I'm worried about," the dog-boy explained.

"If you say so," the blonde replied dismissively, more concerned about the motives of the deformed-avian.

* * *

The next day, many of the villagers and Naruto were searching for Kagome. The blonde shinobi had left a clone, but it dispelled when it fell from a tree during a nap. The girl grumbled obscenities, complaining about lazy clones with their own personalities.

Then, at the corner of her vision, Naruto saw Inuyasha leaping away at a fast rate. She followed closely, thinking he had an inkling to where her sister was.


	4. Shikon Fragments

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

In an abandoned establishment in the forest, a group of bandits were lazing around. Two of them were holding Kagome captive as their leader gurgled, "Shikon...no Tama," twitching like a strung puppet.

Then, he grabbed Kagome by her collar and went after the Jewel. Once he took it, the thug unceremoniously threw the girl away from him.

Kagome, remembering Kaede's words about the Shikon no Tama's effects, exclaimed, "No! Give it back!" But a katana pierced through the wood flooring to her right.

The bandit leader made odd groaning sounds and told his henchmen in a broken speech, "Re...strain... her." Confused, his minions did as they were told a bit hestitantly. As Kagome was restrained again, the leader raised his katana to chop the girl in half. His men were surprised, but all they could do was watch and pity the female.

*Slash*

In a spurt of blood, one of the men holding Kagome was killed instead of her. The leader stupidly apologized and turned to the retreating girl, "Hah...this time...it's your neck," grinning like an insane loon.

"No way!" Kagome protested nervously, and turned to run. The leader carelessly swung his sword again, this time beheading two of his other men.

"W-What are you d-doing, sir!" his surviving minions cried out in alarm.

Their leader did not listen, preferring to walk over to the fleeing girl, who held onto a spare spear. "Stay back!" Kagome warned, "Try something, and…" she began to continue, but trailed off when the thug just cut the spear's wooden tier.

Surprised, the girl tried to defend herself, thinking this was the end.

*Slash*

The thug had swung his katana, but the metal broke in pieces as Inuyasha came to the rescue. Very relieved, Kagome started to say, "Coming to save me..."

But the dog-boy demanded, "Where's the Shikon no Tama!"

So the girl finished in annoyance, "...wasn't on your mind at all."

The bandit leader garbled like a beast, and Inuyasha turned to face him. Covering his sensitive nose, the hanyou stated distastefully, "This stinks...it reeks of a rotting corpse around here."

"Kagome!" Naruto's voice from a distance away called out anxiously. The younger Higurashi whipped her head behind her to be met with the relieving sight of her sister.

"Naruto-neechan!" she beamed happily. She was saved!

The blonde quickly caught up to her sister, fretting like a hysterical chicken, "Are you okay? No injuries or- or anything?" Kagome shook her head to convey 'no'. Naruto sighed in complete comfort.

Ignoring the two, Inuyasha declared, "You're there, aren't you, Shibugarasu!" Then, the hanyou ran up to slash open the thug leader's armor.

With a great angry caw, the deformed-avian from the night before displayed its grotesque home. The rest of the bandits screamed in horror and ran away in fright.

"Sometime last night, probably, it ate its way into his chest and built a fucking nest," Inuyasha stated seriously. Lifting his sleeve-covered hand, the sensitive dog-boy continued nasally, "That thing's not that strong. It manipulates a damn corpse to fight for it."

The avian made its home attempt to get its katana, but Inuyasha intervened, yelling in irritation, "Get outta' there, you scum!" clawed-hand poised to stab the creature.

However, the fiend broke away by leaving from the thug leader's back. In its beak held the Shikon no Tama. Naruto threw a kunai at it, but the avian swiftly dodged and took to the skies.

"Damn it!" the dog-boy cursed. He turned to his right and saw a bow and quiver of arrows. Taking them, he grabbed Kagome's wrist, barked out, "Come on!"

"What're you doing!" a suspicious Naruto demanded, getting ready to rescue her sister. However, Inuyasha didn't listen and carried Kagome on his back as she ran out of the establishment.

* * *

Leaping and running quickly into the forest, the dog-boy snapped at the girl on his back, "What are you doing? Hurry up and shoot the thing!"

Kagome retorted shakily, "Do...Don't say something so absurd! My experience with bows are..."

Except she couldn't say the rest because Inuyasha informed her, "Did you know that this thing...it only feed on humans. You wouldn't want it to become demonic, would ya'?"

The creature in question swallowed the Jewel, so Kagome gave in. "I'll try!"

'Heh. After the shibugarasu's dead, I'll have no further need of her,' the greedy hanyou schemed inwardly. Out loud he said, "Do it in one shot! Kikyou was a master of the bow!"

Frustrated by that reference, the Higurashi girl insisted, "I'm Kagome, Damn it!" Then, she attempted to hit the avian in the sky. The arrow trailed off a few feet behind, and Inuyasha expressed his somewhat-dumbfounded reaction. Naruto, who was leaping quickly behind them, managed to laugh at his reaction.

"No matter what you say, Kagome is Kagome, not Kikyou," the shinobi told him in an oh-so-wise tone.

"Shut up!" the dog-boy shouted irately. This 'Kagome' was definitely NOT Kikyou.

In the air, the shibugarasu began to transform into something more hideous than before.

* * *

Villagers out in the field noticed a large bird, but did not know what kind it was. Once it flew by closer, they were terrified to see it carry off a small boy.

"Kokichi!" the child's mother cried out in distress.

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Naruto leaped into view, the hanyou hissing, "Shit! It's starting to transform!"

"The child..." the younger Higurashi sister noticed in slight shock.

"I told you, the shibugarasu feeds on humans," the dog-boy said, and cracked his knuckles. "How convenient. It's slowed down by extra weight, so...I'll rip everything apart!" he cackled, anticipating the gore to come.

However, the girl jumped off from his back and exclaimed in worry, "Idiot! You have to save the kid!" Inuyasha ended up missing the avian, and Kagome held onto the falling child.

"Ah! You bitch!" the annoyed hanyou complained. Naruto punched him on the head in retaliation, and placed an exploding tag on the flying fiend. Quickly, the shinobi grabbed her sister and the child, jumping away from the blast that would occur in a few seconds.

*BOOM*

In an explosion of flesh, the fiend went down.

Kagome was shocked, since she never expected Naruto to possess explosives on her person. Wasn't that dangerous?

Inuyasha was also surprised, but remembered what his goal was. "Where's the Shikon?" he spoke hastily.

The deformed-avian began to regenerate, answering his question.

"Kuso!" he cursed in irriation. The thing just wouldn't die!

He tried to tear at it with a clawed-hand, but the avian just regenerated once more. As the thing flew above, Kagome noticed a pink glow coming from its belly. She also realized that she was holding the avian's leg, which would most likely go back to its owner.

Making a decision, the girl tied the leg to an arrow, and tried to shoot it towards the creature.

Inuyasha was skeptical about it, and said, "Oi...you won't hit it like this, bitch. Not when you're as feeble with the bow as..." but abruptly stopped when Naruto kicked him down for calling her sister a 'bitch'.

Kagome released the arrow into the sky, and observed as the leg tied to it began to redirect the projectile's course. With a deep pierce, the arrow went through the avian's stomach and the Shikon. In a bright flashing light, the Shikon no Tama was reduced to numerous shards, spread throughout the country.

* * *

"Kaede-sama, that light!" a village-man called out in alarm.

'This...will be a problem,' the elder miko thought in dread.

* * *

Somehow, the head of the shibugarasu attempted to bite Kagome and Inuyasha, but the hanyou struck it down with a hand. The girl noticed a sparkling item drop from the piece of flesh, and picked it up.

"This... could it be?" Kagome wondered aloud.

Naruto came up to see it and sighed, "Oh man, look what you did, 'Gome."

* * *

"What the hell is going on!" the howl of Inuyasha rose in frustration.

"Stop that, Inuyasha," Kaede chided tiredly. Kagome was sitting to her left, nervously, while Naruto relaxed in a reclined position beside her sister.

"What happened to the Jewel?" the dog-boy persisted, not liking the possible dilemma what was happening.

"When Kagome fired her purifying arrow, it killed the mononoke's body, and shattered the Shikon in the process," the elder miko explained patiently. "The fragments have broken into ten pieces, or a hundred, all over the lands," she continued in dismay. More seriously, the elder told the youngsters, "Now listen, you three. You all must combine your powers to collect the shards and return the Jewel to normal."

Inuyasha scoffed and cockily replied, "You sure about that, Kaede-babaa? I'm one of the bad guys, remember?"

"It can't be helped," the elder said, giving in the possibility.

Meanwhile, Kagome was in a bind. 'I wanna go home!' she mentally cried.

Her sister, noticing that problem, spoke maturely, "You broke it, so you have to fix it, 'Gome. But don't worry, I'm here to help."

Kagome hung her head in defeat.

* * *

Morning sun shined across the land below, and the wind blew cold breezes. Currently, Kagome decided she needed a bath, and urged Naruto to do the same, so they ended up going to the cold river. The male villagers thought it was a purification ceremony because they were warned that peeping would result in divine retribution.

In the present, Naruto was casually relaxing by a big boulder, not at all affected by the cold water. She had to endure worse things in her world, than a cold bath. Kagome was swimming underwater, reflecting on the things she was told the night before.

Kaede couldn't understand why the two girls would want to bathe in this season, but came with them to make a warm fire.

When Kagome resurfaced, she noticed Inuyasha looking down at her from a cliff. Immediately, she went back into the water and shouted, "Sit!"

*BAM*

The dog-boy smacked down onto the leveled ground.

Naruto opened one eye to watch the proceedings, and then closed it again. She went on missions with males all the time, it wasn't a big deal to show that much skin now. Of course, it was fun to tease the males of the Rookie Eleven whenever they went bathing during a mission. Man~, she never knew that Neji could turn so red in embarrassment. That stuck-up Hyuuga practically fainted in the water! She and the rest of her friends had fun teasing him later. Then, Neji got all proper and scolded her for bathing in the same place as the males. He went on like that for about an hour, so everyone else fell asleep by the time he was done.

Abruptly, the expected shout of Inuyasha broke her reverie, "Whatchya' do that for!"

"You were peeping on me!" Kagome yelled behind a bush.

A vein popped on the male's forehead, and he retorted, "Why the fuck would I peep on _you_! If I was going to peep on anyone, it'd be your sister! Not you, Flat-chest!"

The insulted female steamed in anger, and she exclaimed, "Sit! Sit, sit, sit!"

*BAM* BAM* BAM* BAM*

Naruto came out of the river and began to change into the spare clothing she sealed into her storage seal. "That's your own fault, Inuyasha," she told the dog-boy in a moderately-sized, Inuyasha-hole.

Kaede clucked in irritation and said, "You came to steal the Shikon fragment, didn't you?" holding up the spoken object between her fingers.

"I see you understand, Kaede-babaa," Inuyasha said intellectually, steadily coming out of his hole.

Kaede sighed and chided, "If you want the Shikon, you must help the girls find the rest of the fragments."

"That's why I said I'll work with them. For the sake of the Jewel," he replied, turning to face the elderly woman.

Then, Kagome came out from behind her bush, in her new miko-clothing, and asked, "Do you hate me that much?" In Inuyasha's mind, she looked a lot like Kikyou.

Naruto and Kaede noticed his frozen visage, and the elder miko wondered, "What's with that face, Inuyasha?" He didn't answer, preferring to scrutinize Kagome.

Nrauto punched him on the head, and he fell to the side, grabbing his head.

"Kaede-sama," a female villager called from behind the four. They turned to see the worried look on her face. "My daughter..." the woman began.

"She suddenly collapsed?" Kaede provided in concern. Standing up, the elder miko told the three youngsters, "Try not to fight, you three."

"Hai~!" Naruto saluted with a foxy smile.

* * *

A little later, Inuyasha spoke to Kagome, "Oi, take 'em off." Kagome and Naruto misinterpreted his meaning and gave him two big wallops.

Shaking in pain, he cursed in confusion, "The fuck!"

"Indecent!" Kagome screamed in rage.

Inuyasha stood up and retorted, "I didn't say get naked, just get back in your weird clothes!" yelling as he pointed at Kagome's school uniform.

"Because these make me look like Kikyou?" the girl prodded in annoyance.

The dog-boy snapped his head to the side and scoffed, "...None of your business."

'Geez... He's like a junior-high kid!' the Higurashi sisters thought in unison.

Kagome sighed and began to walk away, her sister in tow, informing the male, "With an attitude like that, there's no way we can work together. If you're so adamant about doing this alone, then I'm going home." Naruto quirked an eyebrow in query, but said nothing.

"'Going home'?" Inuyasha repeated in alarm. "Wait, leave the fragment before you go!" he ordered.

"You mean this?" Kagome spoke, showing him a pouch containing the fragment. She closed her eyes resolutely and firmly stated, "Sit!"

* BAM*

"Bi-i-itch..." the rude hanyou cursed in pain. Naruto gave his head a harsh stomp and walked off.

* * *

Kaede was feeding a bed-ridden girl when suddenly, the sickly person sat up like a possessed ragdoll.

"Stay back!" the elder cried to the spectators behind her. An odd glint caused Kaede to see wires made of, what looked like, hair; stringing the sick girl in front of her. A chopping knife was thrown into the "puppet's" awaiting hand, and she slashed down.

* * *

Kagome and Naruto were at the well, but Kagome decided to not jump down the well. There were the remains of Mistress Centipede at the bottom.

There was a pair of birds flying by, before they were mysteriously cut down. Naruto took out a kunai, making sure her sister was behind her.

"Hair?" Kagome wondered anxiously.

'This is hair?' Naruto thought in curiosity, 'if I didn't know that, I would've thought this to be shinobi wire.'

"Hmm...you can see it?" a female wondered nearby.

The Higurashi sisters looked up to see a scantily-dressed woman standing on a thin hair-wire. "This is my **Kushi no Kago (Cage of Hair)**. But simply being able to see it is useless," the newcomer enlightened the pair below.

"Who're you?" Kagome exclaimed nervously.

"Sakasa-gami no Yura (Yura of the Inverted-Hair)," the person introduced herself. "But, there's no need for you to remember that. Your life is good as over," she added nonchalantly.

Naruto tensed as the woman lifted a stringed hand, making hair attack Kagome. The blonde took on the strands by cutting them with a wind chakra-laced kunai. However, the enemy had gotten what she wanted; the Shikon fragment.

"Hmm...you have a strange ability," Yura curiously remarked, gazing at the shinobi. "Furthermore...to think that the Shikon no Tama has been reduced to this," she spoke in disappointment.

"Give it back!" Kagome demanded, grabbing the hair in front of her.

But Yura jumped forward with her katana unsheathed, stating simply, "You may die now."

"Kagome!" Naruto yelled in concern. The blonde leaped up to grab her sister, and they fell down the well.

Yura landed on the edge of the well and looked down, seeing no one at the bottom of the well. "They're gone?" she wondered. "What were those girls?" she spoke in slight interest.


	5. To Begin the Journey

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

"Ugh...that hurt," a dazed Naruto groaned from the ground. Slowly sitting up, she found Kagome looking around in confusion.

Then a pair of familiar voices conversed above, "But we've already checked the well many times!" this one an elderly man; "But I saw Naruto-nee and Kagome-nee fall in!" the other, a younger boy, protested.

"Jii-chan! Souta!" Kagome cried out in shock. Was she dreaming?

However, her older sister broke her thoughts as the blonde took herself and the younger girl up to the surface. Outside of the well-house, the girls gazed over their surroundings, seeing their home.

Jii-chan shouted, "W-Where have you two been! We were so worried!"

Naruto was about to answer, but Kagome interrupted her by clinging onto their grandfather and began to cry.

* * *

Inuyasha was carrying a bloody Kaede into the forest. He had returned to the village, encountering possessed-like villagers, all coming to kill him. Kaede said that there was hair manipulating the people, but the hanyou couldn't see it. Having no other choice, he and the elder miko escaped the village.

Currently, the dog-boy was thoughtfully digging a wide hole. "Alright, that'll do. It's the least I can do for you, Babaa. I'll bury you here," he spoke solemnly.

"You fool... I'm not dead yet," the wounded elder replied, thinking Inuyasha was blind as a bat.

"That's not what I meant," the dog-boy sighed, carrying on, "I'm saying that I'll hide you here. I'll dig you out later… if I don't forget."

"I really hope you don't," Kaede remarked, feeling uncertain for her future.

* * *

After taking a proper bath, the two girls came down the stairs to eat dinner. Their grandfather informed them that he had sealed the well with his 'powers' and ofudas. Of course, Naruto didn't believe that crap; Jii-chan had no holy powers, but the other Higurashi children believed him.

But now, it was the best moment of Kagome's life. Why? It was because they were having ODEN for dinner! It was the best food in the world! "It's oden! It's oden! It's oden!" she chanted happily over and over.

Her blonde sister rolled her eyes. Fuck oden! Ramen was the food of the gods!

Nevertheless, she and the rest of their family clapped their hands together and said, "Itadakimasu!"

*Whack*

The little family was startled to see an angry Inuyasha at the doorway. Naruto sighed and put her chopsticks back down. 'The well is sealed, _my ass_!' she scoffed mutely in irritation.

"Damn you…whoever said you could just go home like that?" the hanyou snapped, mildly pissed off.

"You...how did you?" Kagome stuttered in shock.

"From the well, Stupid!" Inuyasha retorted, appalled by the girl's idiocy.

"Jii-chan, I told you it wasn't sealed," Naruto told her grandfather bluntly.

The delusional old man insisted, "It was! My powers and the ofudas should have sealed the well!"

"Seal?" the hanyou wondered aloud. Then, he grabbed a stray ofuda that was in his hair. "You mean this? Didn't work at all," he commented offhandedly. Jii-chan cried a river, while Souta looked at his grandfather in doubt.

"Now let's go!" Inuyasha ordered, grabbing Kagome's wrist.

Mama stood up and demanded seriously, "Wait a minute!" The dog-boy paused and turned around.

'Hoh? Mama's going to try stopping him?' Naruto thought in curiosity.

Alas, that wasn't the case. Mama went straight up to the hanyou and asked, "Your ears… Are they real?" She began to rub his ears like Kagome did the first time.

'So this is where 'Gome gets it,' the blonde concluded with a sweatdrop.

"Me next! Me next!" Souta chimed in earnestly beside his mother.

Naruto chuckled, and then noticed something glinting on Inuyasha's sleeve. "Those strands of hair," she pointed out warily. Most likely, they belonged to Yura.

"What hair?" the dog-boy wondered in bafflement.

"You can't see them?" Kagome inquired anxiously. She grabbed the strands, and they wound tightly around her palm. Beads of blood fell from the cut they made.

Naruto quickly removed the hair and wrapped a napkin around her sister's bloody hand. "It looks like we have to go back, 'Gome," the blonde commented mildly.

* * *

It was quite a fight to enter the well. Inuyasha couldn't see the clumped of hair attacking, so naturally, Naruto took over the hacking. The dog-boy 'kindly' gave Kagome his outer coat, saying that it should protect her because her body as too frail. When she asked about Naruto, the blonde said that she could just use her sage mode to toughen her skin. Of course, Inuyasha and Kagome were both intrigued by the 'sage mode'. For Inuyasha, it was odd that a mere human could possess such mysterious powers. But for Naruto's sister, she was fascinated by all of the shinobi's abilities, mainly because she admired the blonde.

And once the trio reached the other side, they immediately bombarded by more clumps of hair. The three decided to trail the 'glowing' strands back to the controller, witnessing a campsite filled with beheaded warriors. Inuyasha was impressed that Kagome chose not to run away from the gore, not really worried about Naruto. The blonde proved that she was a type of warrior, and presumably killed before.

* * *

Eventually, the three came to a wide clearing that was dominated by a big 'cocoon' of hair. Yura appeared above and commanded her battalion of hair to capture Inuyasha. Kagome tried to shoot arrows to break the hair, but Yura threw flames her away. Naruto took a hold of her sister and jumped away from the blaze.

Landing a few feet away, the blonde began to create a **Rasengan**. She couldn't make the **Rasenshuriken** because Inuyasha was in the way. The hair-oni was enthralled by that display of energy, and observed Naruto as the shinobi rammed the swirling orb into the line of hair restraining the hanyou. To Yura's surprise, the orb broke through the tough strands and freed the enemy.

Once freed, Inuyasha used his **Hijin Ketsusou (Blades of Blood)**, which cut one of the oni's hands. Angered, Yura sent a sea of endless hair, skulls and all. The dog-boy stabbed a hand through her chest, but to his amazement, she didn't seem fazed at all.

Then, a screeching noise filled the air, and the two looked to the sidelines to see Naruto holding up an upgraded version of the swirling orb from earlier. "Inuyasha! Get over here! This attack's lethal!" the blonde cried over the sound. Quickly, the dog-boy obeyed, not liking the amount of energy emitting from that thing.

Yura ran forward, declaring, "Like I'd let you!" and thrust her katana out, intending to cut through the weird-human's skin. However, Naruto threw her attack at her assailant.

In an enormous flare, the oni's big dome of hair was reduced to ashes. Yura howled in pain and also turned into miniature remains, withering away in the wind. Out of the dead oni's clothes came the pouch that contained Kagome's first Shikon fragment. The girl quickly grabbed it, unsure as to how she would be able to find all of the similar pieces now.

"How the fuck did you do that!" Inuyasha exclaimed in astonishment. He could not believe how much destruction Naruto's orb-thingy caused!

"Trade secret," was the vague answer he got. Of course, the dog-boy couldn't accept that explanation, so he pestered the shinobi as they left for Kaede's village.

Nearby, a little flea-demon stood on a stray skull piece. It observed the departing trio and said, "It's been an awful search...Inuyasha-sama."

* * *

Elsewhere, One Sesshoumaru and his servant Jaken were walking through a human camp. They were searching for Inu no Taisho's grave, but this wasn't the place. The humans present were angry and tried to attack the intruders, but Sesshoumaru had Jaken burn them with his staff.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, wouldn't it be better to ask Inuyasha where the tomb is?" Jaken inquired meekly.

His master looked thoughtful for a moment, before he took the imp's staff and started grinding it against the servant's face. "You made me think about that hanyou-thing," Sesshoumaru spoke in irritation.

"Ah! Forgive me, My Lord!" Jaken cried in distress. "However, it appears that the hanyou has been freed from his seal," the imp informed his master.

"Nani?" the dog-demon wondered in subtle curiosity.

* * *

Several days had passed, and Kagome was riding her bike that she had brought over from the future. In her basket was a first-aid kit, which she wanted to use for Inuyasha's injuries. Naruto was off somewhere else, training or napping, leaving her sister to face the rude halfling.

Riding out by Kaede's village, Kagome found Inuyasha napping in a tree, and shouted, "Hey! Come down here so I can look at your wounds!"

The dog-boy refused, so the girl said, "Sit."

*BAM*

The two ended up struggling with the male's clothes, which gave the wrong impression to the arriving Kaede and village children.

"Y-You mustn't look," the elder miko told the minors, making them turn around.

"Whoa! You two are too hasty; to try _this_ in just a week!" an also arriving Naruto exclaimed with raised eyebrows. Her sister worked fast!

"Idiot!" Inuyasha snapped, annoyed by the misconception. Pushing Kagome off of him, he opened his top and showed the girl a wound-free chest.

"Eh? You're healed already?" she marveled in amazement.

Unexpectedly, the hanyou yelped in pain. Everyone looked at his chest to see a flea-demon sucking his blood. Inuyasha smacked the being, and opened his palm to gaze at the now-flattened flea-demon.

"What the... Aren't you the flea, Myouga-jiji?" the dog-boy questioned in slight interest.

* * *

Inuyasha's gang, Kaede, and the apparent-Myouga all sat in the elder miko's hut.

"So... some guys were trying to violate Oyaji's tomb? Then you deserted it and ran away?" the dog-boy summarized the flea's dilemma.

"Inuyasha, if I remember correctly, wasn't your father was a youkai lord of the west?" Kaede asked the bored male.

"I don't really remember, okay," he just replied.

Curious, Kagome inquired, "What about his mother?"

At that question, Inuyasha snapped angrily, "Shut up, will ya'! She's been dead for a long time."

Naruto kicked him on the back of his head, and defended her sister, "She didn't know, and it's just a question. If _you_ don't want to hear it, then go outside."

The dog-boy scoffed and stomped his way out of the hut.

* * *

The night sky emerged after a while, and the Higurashi sisters came out to see a sulky Inuyasha. As the two girls got closer, the eldest felt an incoming presence. Looking up at the sky, she noticed a carriage with a beautiful woman inside.

"Mom?" Inuyasha breathed in alarm.

Naruto narrowed her eyes in suspicion. His mother had passed away a long time ago, so why would she be alive now? It stank strongly of a trap.

Suddenly, a great big claw came down from the sky and crushed the carriage; grabbing Inuyasha's 'mother'. The hanyou started to run forward to save his 'mother', but a burst of flame halted his steps. He looked up to see Sesshoumaru and Jaken standing on the enormous claw of an ogre.

"You bastard! Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha shouted at the dog-demon.

"Hoh? So you seem to have remembered the face of your elder brother," the elder of the two silver-heads remarked casually.

Naruto couldn't help but say, "Ah, it's true. I can totally see the resemblance."

"Shut up!" the hanyou snapped, not liking how he was being compared with his enemy. The blonde snickered in amusement. It was like Sasuke and Itachi all over again, except, they were the closest pair of brothers she knew. The pair in front of her was the opposite.

"It's fitting how one such as you would loiter among humans," Sesshoumaru spoke distastefully, gazing at his sibling with contempt.

"Did you come all the way over here to just fuckin' say that?" Inuyasha snarled with equal distaste.

The elder of the two brothers 'hnned' and replied, "I do not have that much spare time. I've come to ask you for the location of Father's tomb."

"I dunno!" the hanyou barked, loathing Sesshoumaru's presence and verbal abuse.

"Is that so? I guess your mother will just have to suffer," the dog-demon stated apatheticly. The claw holding Inuyasha's 'mother' tightened its grip.

"I-Inuyasha!" Kagome called, nervous over the current situation they were in. Naruto got ready to access her bijuu mode, should the need arise.

"You think I'm stupid! Mom's been dead for years!" the hanyou yelled in anger.

Sesshoumaru chuckled and answered condescendingly, "Idiot, just for you, your mother's soul was brought back from the Land of the Dead. I even gave her a body."

Inuyasha was stunned. Then, his confirmed-mother spoke painfully, smiling weakly at her son, "Inu...Inuyasha, don't worry about me... my body has died once already..."

Then, the claw holding the woman squeezed more firmly, making the woman gasp. Alarmed, Naruto went into her bijuu mode and made a chakra claw to slash through the ogre's arm. Everyone else present was astonished.

'This energy…youki?' Sesshoumaru wondered silently.

Inuyasha grabbed his mother out of the fallen claw and jumped a few feet away. "What the fuck, Naruto! I thought you were human!"

"I am!" the blonde shouted in affirmation. "I just...I just have special circumstances!" she made up on the spot. He wouldn't understand right now.

"We can talk later! Let's get outta' here!" the hanyou exclaimed quickly.

"You won't get away!" Sesshoumaru snarled, sending the ogre's other claw towards the halfling.

Worried for her son's safety, Inuyasha's mother lifted her hands to reveal a bright light, and everything went white.

* * *

Naruto awoke; dazed from the illumination she was struck by. "Ow," she groaned, rubbing a hand to her forehead. She stood up clumsily, wondering where she was now.

A big splash caught the shinobi's attention, and she looked to her right to see Sesshoumaru grasping Inuyasha by his neck. Growling, Naruto accessed her bijuu mode again and leaped across the pond to swipe at the dog-demon's head.

Sesshoumaru felt her demonic presence and dodged the swipe, never letting go of his younger half-brother. He glanced at the strange human oozing demonic youki for a moment, and then quickly stabbed two fingers into Inuyasha's right eye. Naruto snarled and jumped to attack the dog-demon again, but he leaped a few feet away.

Sesshoumaru scrutinized a black pearl between his bloody fingers, softly speaking, "To think... Father's tomb was hidden in the bastard's right eye."

Inuyasha groaned in pain and snapped, "You went as far to make a fake copy of my mother... I won't forgive you!" shouting at the last statement, he raised a hand to attack his half-brother. Of course, Sesshoumaru was stronger than him, so the elder dodged the attempt easily.

Cracking his knuckles, the unfriendly demon said, "I'm in a hurry, so if you get in my way, you'll have to die."

Naruto came up behind him and gave a fast kick, but Sesshoumaru blocked it with an arm. Undeterred, the shinobi made three clones, which did not fail to surprise him. Just who was this human? Or rather, _what _was she?

All of the clones attacked him, but he dispelled them all with his poison whip. Then, the original blonde fell from above with a **Rasengan**, but Sesshoumaru jumped away at the last second. The swirling orb crashed to the ground, creating a wide crater.

The dog-demon 'tsked', took Jaken's Nintoujou (Staff of Two Heads), and slammed its pointed end on the black pearl. A distorted black hole materialized, taking Sesshoumaru and Jaken into it.

"Inuyasha-sama! Hurry!" Myouga cried franticly.

"Argh! Shut up! I know," the hanyou complained to the yelling flea by his ear.

The gang then ran into the dark portal.

* * *

"Wha-ha!" Naruto let out in joy. She was flying in the air!

. . . Technically, she was riding a skeleton-bird in the air. Inuyasha's party was headed towards the great big remains of Inu no Taisho- the hanyou's father.

Once inside the great skeleton's stomach, the gang spotted their enemy by a sword. Inuyasha yelled out, "Sesshoumaru!" a claw poised to strike the dog-demon. The superior male leaped up, landing on the platform the sword was in.

"Hoh? What is it, Inuyasha? Did you come to dig your own grave, or could it be that... you came for Father's Tetsusaiga?" the demon brother spoke, vaguely interested by the hanyou's arrival. Taking a quick glance to the side, he could also see the two humans Inuyasha was with earlier; particularly the fair-haired one. That female was a perplexing puzzle, and Sesshoumaru disliked it when things became more complex than they needed to be.

"Keh! I'm not interested in some worn-out sword," the hanyou brother replied, brashly running to attack his half-sibling.

"You idiot! Myouga-ji said that it was your dad's sword, and that Sesshoumaru wants it! If he can't take it out, and you can, then it would totally ruin his honor! He'll be disgraced!" Kagome yakked at Inuyasha ferociously.

The hanyou looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "I get it, it would insult him... Heh! This is payback, Sesshoumaru!" Then, he began to pull at the sword, expecting it to budge, but it didn't.

. . . "Oi," Inuyasha called out to Myouga- who was on his shoulder, "Why. Can't. I. Pull. It. Out?" he vehemently questioned the little demon, squishing Myouga with each word.

"I-I don't know," the elder stuttered in pain.

"This farce is over," Sesshoumaru declared, and began to attack Inuyasha. A one-sided battle occurred, with the hanyou running away from the demon's poison claws.

An observing Jaken decided determinedly, "Heh heh heh! I will assist you, Sesshoumaru-sama." But Kagome heard that and stomped on the imp repeatedly.

Naruto sweatdropped and went to grab the sealed Tetsusaiga. "I wonder..." she murmured in interest. Would it reject her because of Kurama, or would it do nothing at all?

*Pop*

"Ah..." the blonde vocalized calmly. What do you know; it did neither and came out in one piece.

"Naruto-nee," Kagome said, surprised that the sword had let her bijuu-containing sister pick it up. Wasn't a bijuu equivalent to that of a youkai in this world?

Jaken went bug-eyed and squawked in astonishment. The fighting brothers paused in their struggle, also seeing the unsealed Tetsusaiga in Naruto's hand.

"Hmm..." the shinobi hummed, examining the aging katana. Then, she noticed the staring eyes and apologized insincerely, "Uh…gomen-ne, Inuyasha."

Abruptly, Sesshoumaru appeared in front of her face and demanded in a low tone, "Who are you? Why were able to draw the Tetsusaiga?"

"Sah..." Naruto drawled neutrally, not showing her more alert emotions.

"Nee-chan!" Kagome cried out anxiously.

"Don't worry, 'Gome, I won't die," the blonde placated, giving her sister a pair of eye-smiles. The dog demon took that opening and waved an acid-laced hand at her. Kagome screamed in horror.

*POOF*

"Nani?" Sesshoumaru muttered, slightly taken aback. What kind of ability was this?

"That wasn't nice," Naruto spoke from behind him, a kunai at his neck. Everyone else was amazed to see her unscathed. Swiftly, she threw the sword in her other hand towards Inuyasha.

"Tsk," Sesshoumaru let out, and attempted to elbow the blonde in the gut. She moved to the side and gave a bijuu chakra-enhanced kick to his chest. It made the demon skid back a few inches, and the hit broke his chest armor.

"Go, Naruto-nee!" Kagome cheered enthusiastically. 'Beat the hell out of that baka!' the girl mentally shouted.

"Of course!" the blonde agreed, giving a thumbs-up to her sister.

"Inuyasha-sama! You should test the Tetsusaiga on Sesshoumaru-sama!" Myouga suggested to the hanyou.

"Heh, how dare you say such things," the currently transforming daiyoukai growled, eyes bleeding red.

Naruto backed away and made a clone, preparing to use the **Chō Mini Bijūdama (Super Mini-Tailed Beast Ball)**. Inuyasha rushed forward with the sword, and attempted to cut the enormous dog taking Sesshoumaru's place. It did nothing; just bounced off.

'The hell?' the dog-boy thought in frustration.

"Move, Inuyasha!" Naruto commanded the hanyou. The dog-boy looked back to see... a minuscule nugget in the girl's hand?

"What the fuck?" he cussed, baffled by the...technique she was holding. Nevertheless, he obeyed, not taking chances. If this thing was anything like that **Rasengan** of hers, Sesshoumaru was in for a world of hurt.

The blonde shinobi surprised the others by launching a chakra arm with the small orb. As soon as the arm got close, Sesshoumaru took to the air, and watch in fascination as the orb created a gigantic crater where the great demon stood before. How could a mere human possess so much power?

"Kuso!" Naruto cussed, annoyed that she'd missed. The blonde leaped into the air as far as she could, and threw a kunai with an exploding tag at Sesshoumaru. Seeing the glinting metal, the big canine swiped a paw, not noticing the paper attached to it. With a loud howl, he hissed as the projectile exploded on his paw. The bottom of his appendage was burnt, but began to slowly heal because of his demonic heritage.

There was a huge gust of dust that rushed towards the others in Inu no Taisho's stomach. Once they were steady from the aftershocks of the technique, they all had their eyes popping out of their sockets. Holy shit! Practically half of the graveyard had been decimated into a smoldering crater!

"Inuyasha-sama, please try to release Tetsusaiga's powers," Myouga requested from the hanyou's shoulder.

"How is he supposed to do that?" Kagome asked nearby.

Solemnly, the flea answered, "This is his father's momento…He must believe in its spiritual power and never abandon it!" Then, the coward jumped off of Inuyasha's shoulder, running away as he said, "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Damn it! How the hell do I get this thing to work?" the dog-boy complained in frustration.

Trying to cheer him up, Kagome replied, "It's your sword, isn't it? Believe in it like Myouga-jisan told you to."

Her companion scoffed, "Aren't you a little too optimistic? I don't know how much longer I can last, but you might get killed if your sister fails."

Out of the blue, the girl began to shed tears. Alarmed, Inuyasha exclaimed, "Don't cry!" He didn't understand why her emotions did a one-eighty all of the sudden.

Startled by the loud command, Kagome wondered, "Should I be laughing, then?"

Uncomfortable with the abrupt mood swing, the hanyou snapped, "Shut up! None of that! I'm saying I'll protect you!"

"Eh?" came the confused response.

Turning to face the battling duo, Inuyasha continued, "Jeez, just sit back and watch."

Walking over to the edge of his father's stomach, he held the Tetsusaiga upright, preparing to engage his half-brother. A pulse beat from the sword, and the hanyou thought, 'It has a heartbeat?'

* * *

The battling duo outside paused when they felt a throbbing sensation. Naruto and Sesshoumaru turned to witness a charging Inuyasha, headed straight towards the dog demon. The blonde leaped away, not wanting to interfere with her ally's moment.

Sesshoumaru, thinking the results with the Tetsusaiga would be the same, also rushed forward to swipe at the hanyou. Inuyasha dodged it and slashed his sword through the outstretched limb. In a fine gush of red, his enemy's leg was amputated, sending the unbalanced demon to the floor.

"A fang?" Naruto murmured, wondering how such an old sword could transform into a great wide blade.

Inuyasha ran to make another cut, and Sesshoumaru growled because he couldn't move.

However, Naruto grabbed her ally's sword-arm and stated, "That's enough. We have the sword and got revenge for his trick from earlier. If he's as prideful as he's supposed to be, it'll be more shameful to live, knowing his hanyou-brother almost killed him." In truth, no matter in what world or time, Naruto did not believe that brothers should kill each other. She may be a stranger to demon customs of this world, but her moral principles wouldn't let her sit back, knowing that Inuyasha would kill his only remaining family.

As expected, the dog-boy didn't understand why she had stopped him. Sesshoumaru was the enemy! With that asshole, it was 'killed or be killed'! But before the hanyou could protest aloud, Naruto grabbed him and Kagome, using her superior speed to whisk them away.

Watching the trio's retreat incredulously, the wounded dog demon was left alone with a frantic Jaken.

"S-Sesshoumaru-sama!" the imp cried franticly.

"Be quiet!" his master snapped in irritation. The weak demon did not want to hear his servant's insistent whining. He also wanted some time to think because he couldn't comprehend why the light-haired human would let him go. In response, Jaken shut his mouth quickly.

"Hmm...not lookin' so tough now, are ya'?" a female voice spoke nonchalantly. The two demons looked to the side to see Naruto.

Jaken squawked in alarm and wielded his staff, exclaiming, "Stand back, foul human! You'll never harm Sesshoumaru-sama!"

The blonde rolled her eyes and punted the tiny being, sending him flying overhead. "I don't get why you want a servant like that," she told the cautious-looking dog demon.

He 'hnned' and inquired coldly, "What do you want?"

Naruto shrugged her shoulders and replied casually, "Nothing really. But I do want to ask you something."

His interest somewhat-piqued, Sesshoumaru demanded monotonously, "What is it?"

Rocking on the back of her heels, the human asked, "Do you know if there is such a thing as a demon being sealed into a human? Like a container?"

Not expecting this, the dog demon prodded, "Are you asking out of curiosity, or... because that is what you are; a 'container'?"

Displaying a foxy smile, Naruto simply answered, "No comment."

Slightly annoyed by the vague response, Sesshoumaru decided to ask, "Are you the real one, or are you a fake?"

The blonde smiled and dispelled into a puff of smoke, but not before saying, "A clone."

Alone once again, the dog demon repeated, "A clone?"

* * *

"Hoh... So Inuyasha's father's tomb was inside this black pearl?" Kaede wondered, holding the tiny object in between her fingers. "However, how is it that Naruto could pull out that Tetsusaiga?" the elder continued, mystified.

"It has to do with the fact that she's human," Myouga answered, a thoughtful frown on his lips. "Originally, Inu no Taisho-sama created the Tetsusaiga to protect Inuyasha-sama's human mother... In other words, the sword cannot be used with the affections and protective emotions towards humans," the flea expanded seriously.

"Hmm... so someone like Sesshoumaru, who completely lacks any kind of compassions towards humans, would never be able to wield the sword," Naruto remarked, interested in the enchantments placed on the enigmatic blade. How nifty.

* * *

A little later, the blonde girl found her sister and Inuyasha arguing out by the dog-boy's napping tree.

"Sit!" Kagome yelled, anger mixed into her speech.

*BAM*

Groaning, the subdued hanyou demanded painfully, "Wait! Tell me how to use it... ugh."

Myouga, who was sitting on Naruto's shoulder, shook his head pityingly and mutely chided the dog-boy, 'Inuyasha-sama, you must really tame that wild personality of yours.'

* * *

**It's so fun writing Naruto's parts into the story!**


	6. At The Start

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

"Aah… This feels SO nice, neh, Naruto-nee?" a happy Kagome commented. Currently, she and her sister were relaxing in the river they bathed in before; this time in swimsuits.

"Mah, I guess," the blonde girl replied, floating on her back as she swam around boulders.

Suddenly, Inuyasha appeared at the bank, and Kagome screamed. Naruto threw a kunai at the dog-boy's direction.

"What the hell!" the hanyou cried out.

Unremorsefully, the shinobi apologized, "Sorry, you were in the way."

Confused, Inuyasha looked behind him to see something stealing Kagome's clothes. "Kee, kee!" the robber screeched as it ran away.

"A monkey?" Naruto murmured skeptically. Did Sengoku-Japan even have monkeys?

* * *

The little animal leaped up to a resting samurai-like man and the human praised joyously, "Well done, Hiyoshimaru!" The man opened the bundle the monkey named Hiyoshimaru had brought. "What is this? Hiyoshimaru, this isn't food!"

"Hey, you!" Inuyasha's angry shout rang a few feet away. Kagome followed behind, wearing Naruto's trademark cloak, with the owner walking up beside the improperly-dressed girl.

"Who- Who are you! You're a suspicious lot!" the monkey's apparent owner declared, unsheathing the sword he carried.

Kicking him in the face, Inuyasha retorted, "That's my line."

* * *

Savagely, the samurai-man and Hiyoshimaru ate the potato chips that Kagome had brought from the future. "You have my thanks, young lady," the sated man expressed his gratitude seriously.

"Um… I'm Kagome, this is Inuyasha, and the girl next to me is Naruto- my sister," the younger Higurashi girl introduced awkwardly, pointing at her companions as she mentioned them.

Then, feeling a slight pain on his cheek, the strange man smacked the assailant on his face. He opened his palm and saw a flattened flea-demon. "… And that's Myouga-jiichan, the flea," Kagome finished lamely.

* * *

"Though I cannot reveal my full identity, I am the one called Nobunaga," the stranger introduced himself pleasantly.

"N-Nobunaga!" the dark-haired time traveler exclaimed in shock. Abruptly, Kagome grabbed onto Nobunaga's hands and shook them franticly. "Oh, my God! Please shake my hand! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Kagome squealed in happiness.

"Oi, what's with you?" a creeped-out Inuyasha asked, staring at the girl as if she had grown a second head.

Rolling her eyes, Naruto told her excited sister, " 'Gome, I don't think he's _that_ Nobunaga."

"What are you talking about? He's got to be Nobunaga Oda, who was known as the Fool of Owari, but became a historic relic years later!" the younger girl read aloud from a textbook she had also brought with her.

"Er… I'm sorry, but I am not that Oda person," Nobunaga corrected the ecstatic girl.

"Nani!" Kagome cried out in dismay. If this man wasn't Nobunaga Oda, then who was he?

The man stood up and started to walk away, saying good-bye with, "Thank you for your food, butI'm not to be mistaken with that fool of Owari. Farewell." He turned away, going back on his journey.

"Baka," Naruto said, watching Nobunaga walk off a small cliff. He fell in a pile of bruised body parts.

"He may not be the Fool of Owari, but he sure is a fool," Kagome agreed distantly.

* * *

The Shikon Hunting Trio hid behind some bushes, following Nobunaga as he spied on a group of men taken away some village women.

"Hey, Kagome, why do we have to hang around this guy?" Inuyasha inquired baffledly.

"Do you really think it's okay to leave him on his own?" the girl pointed out in concern.

Then, the hiding group heard a village man converse with his fellow companions, "Just between us, I've heard that the lord of the castle has been possessed by a mononoke." Instantly, the Shikon group straightened up to hear more.

* * *

"This place fucking reeks of youkai. There's no way the Shikon fragment wouldn't be here," Inuyasha stated as he piggy-backed Kagome.

"I, too, have business in this castle," Nobunaga added in, also climbing up to hitch a ride on the hanyou's back.

"Hey! Who the hell invited you? And I'm not your fuckin' horse!" the dog-boy growled at the oblivious samurai.

* * *

Wandering around the supposedly-possessed lord's castle, the four trespassers noticed how easy it was to break in. At every corner they turned, there were many humans who had been hit with some kind of sleeping spell.

"Tsuyu-hime!" Nobunaga called out loudly, which was stupid in the Shikon Trio's minds. Who the hell yells when breaking into an enemy's territory?

After entering room after room, the four people finally stopped in one that held an unconscious woman and elder.

Mistaking the elder as 'Tsuyu-hime', Nobunaga cried, "Tsuyu-hime, what have they done to you!"

"Oi, isn't this the hime?" Naruto asked, lifting the head of the younger woman with a deadpanned expression on her face. Nobunaga wasn't JUST a fool, he was a BIG one.

"Oh, ho! What a lovely princess. It is my duty to wake her!" Myouga exclaimed from his place on the blonde's shoulder. He jumped off to suck on the princess's blood.

*Smack*

"Ah-ha… heh… ugh," the flea-demon groaned in mild pain. Why did everyone have to stop him like that? Why couldn't they just gently remove him?

* * *

It was very funny from the Shikon Trio's perspectives. It was absolutely obvious that Nobunaga had a crush on Tsuyu-hime, but the princess didn't see it. She also started embarrassing the poor man with stories from the olden days, which were ridiculous in the Trio's minds.

Then, the mood became serious as the princess told them of how odd the lord seemed to be acting after a sudden collapse. To the Trio, it was clear that the human lord had been possessed by some kind of demon.

"Heh, heh… Trespassers won't escape," a croaky voice spoke from the hallway. Inuyasha blocked the door and engaged the 'thing' in combat. The dog-boy cut the bandages around the enemy's head, which revealed a frog-like head.

Noticing a pink glow, Kagome exclaimed, "Ah! There's a Shikon fragment in his shoulder!"

Naruto leaped up and swiftly swiped at the frog-lord with a kunai, but he dodged with a giant hop down the hall. His cheeks suddenly bulging, the frog-lord released miasma from his mouth.

"Don't breathe it in!" Myouga warned from Kagome's shoulder. Everyone covered their lower face with their hands, and the frog-lord took that chance to retreat somewhere else.

* * *

Following the enemy's scent, Inuyasha lead the way to a secret room that held many, large egg-like orbs. In those orbs were the girls that were taken away from the surrounding villages. Growling in anger, Naruto had Inuyasha charge in first so that she could gather sen-chakra. That stupid demon was an insult to all amphibians! Even Gamatatsu was better than him!

Using her sage mode, the blonde decided to beat the frog-demon six ways from Sunday. The demon didn't stand a chance. Naruto had great respect for her gender, and to see a twistedly perverted demon doing such disgraceful things pissed her off.

Next, Kagome had the brightest idea to use her hairspray and lighter to send a ball of fire towards the demon. It screeched in pain was removed from the human it possessed. The actual demon turned out to be a tadpole-like creature, wriggling away as fast as he could. However, Inuyasha stomped on it and took the fragment it possessed.

The human lord woke up and Tsuyu-hime ran to him, breaking Nobunaga's heart.

Poor Nobunaga.

* * *

The next day, the Shikon Trio and a depressed Nobunaga ate some snacks under a blossoming Sakura tree. Eventually, the broken-hearted man tried to be optimistic and bade the three a farewell, falling off a cliff like before. Kagome thought he would kill himself with his clumsiness one day.

* * *

Coming back to Kaede's village, Naruto watched as Inuyasha and Kagome argued again.

"Move it! I have exams tomorrow!" the younger girl yelled angrily.

The hanyou 'tsked' and lifted a boulder, attempting to plug the Bone-eater's Well. "Heh, if I do this, you can't go back!" the dog-boy stated cockily.

"Sit! Sit, sit, sit, sit!" Kagome chanted firmly, climbing into the well as she spoke.

*BAM*BAM*BAM*BAM*BAM*

Naruto snickered at Inuyasha's misfortune, and walked back into the village. She had already finished school, so now she could get some training done.

* * *

Kagome was in a weird mood. School began, and she had another normal day: her friends gossiping, Hojo being oddly kind, and now gossiping over her new 'boy troubles' (Inuyasha).

"I hope my future boyfriend isn't violent, selfish, malicious, or short-temped. I hope he's someone who is kind and obedient," she told her friends. 'Someone who is the complete opposite of Inuyasha,' the girl prayed dearly.

* * *

"Inuyasha, stop being lazy and go find clues for more fragments," Kaede chided inside her hut.

"Agh, shut up! My back's still smarting from that girl's rapid fire 'sits'," the bed-ridden hanyou snapped in irritation.

Naruto laughed at him and 'accidentally' stepped on him as she left the hut. She could hear his painful wails ascending into the air as she left the village.

* * *

*BOOM*

Debris flew in all different directions, ranging from boulders to trees. Kurama had decided to expand his container's repertoire of jutsus, believing that she would get lazy and weak if she didn't learn anything challenging. Of course, Naruto argued against his reasons, claiming that she was the best, 'ttebayo!

But nevertheless, she didn't turn his offer down when he said he might teach her some techniques he gained through years of knowledge. The blonde looked forward to trying out new wind jutsus and some Uzumaki specialties. She almost cried when Kurama told her that he remembered some of her clan's techniques because his past containers had that knowledge. If it was possible, Naruto would definitely love to recreate her mother's special chakra chains. It might be impossible, but the blonde did not believe in such things. Her determination and creative mind would assist her to succeed.

So currently, Naruto had gone far away from Kaede's village, standing in a clearing by a seemingly-deserted mountain. She was practicing to create another variation of the **Rasengan**, hopefully creating something so that she could use with less chakra but greater damage. But now appeared to be a good time to take a break, so the blonde sat down under a shady tree.

Minutes went by, and the shinobi felt the incoming presence of a strong being. Opening her eyes, Naruto looked up to see Sesshoumaru, who stared down at her with a blank face.

"Need something?" she asked him nonchalantly.

The dog demon 'hnned' emotionlessly and stated bluntly, "You are not of these lands."

The shinobi understood what he was trying to say, but replied in false-puzzlement, "What do you mean?" She tilted her head innocently.

The cold being scrunched his nose in distaste and said, "Stop stalling. For someone of that repulsive race, you are rather an intelligent human."

"Che, you're no fun," Naruto pouted childishly. If Sesshoumaru was anything like Sasuke or Kurama, then he would be getting annoyed with her behavior soon. She counted on that assumption, hoping that the dog demon would prod no longer. It wouldn't do if he was one of those 'take over the world' types. Out loud, the blonde drawled, "So… what do you want to know?"

"Answers as to what you are, and what abilities you possess. No normal human could possibly possess powers such as yours," Sesshoumaru responded, subtly confused.

Naruto grinned and wondered mischievously, "Whoever said I was a normal human?"

The demon made an irritated face and answered, "No, you are not a normal human. However, you are definitely not a youkai, nor a miko; therefore an anomaly."

Nodding carelessly, the shinobi agreed with a thoughtful look, "Hmmm, that's one way to put it."

"I do not like to waste time playing games with you, wench. Talk," Sesshoumaru growled threateningly.

Ignoring his malevolent demeanor, Naruto tilted her head curiously and asked, "How's the arm, by the way?"

Snarling more loudly, the demon held her up by neck, against a tree. Squeezing the body part a little, the annoyed being snapped, "Enough! Answer my questions and I will show mercy."

The shinobi appeared to be unfazed and commented randomly, "You know, this strangely turns me on."

An eyebrow ticked in irritation, and Sesshoumaru had broken his captive's neck with a swift crack.

*POOF*

A log took Naruto's place, and the dog demon looked up to see the enigmatic human lounging on a tree branch above. "Hey, how about I answer your questions if you beat me in a spar?" she offered cheerily.

Her 'companion' glowered skeptically and wondered, "You, a supposedly different human, wish to combat against a daiyoukai like myself?"

"Oh, wait. Sorry, I forgot you're handicapped. I'll go easy on you if you want," Naruto 'kindly' proposed, knowing it would insult the demon's pride.

Predictably, Sesshoumaru glowered and his eyes began to bleed some red, but he did not transform. "That is unnecessary. I do not need both of my hands to defeat you," the daiyoukai declined with contempt, cracking the knuckles of his remaining hand.

The shinobi jumped down from her perch and stretched out her body. "Well, don't blame me if you lose," she said casually.

"It will not come to that," her opponent responded monotonously.

* * *

As Naruto and Sesshoumaru 'sparred', the landscape around them changed... A LOT. There was _supposed _to be a huge boulder in a river close by, but it shattered against the shinobi's bijuu chakra-enhanced kick. Now other travelers will have to find another way to cross the body of water. There was also a path humans used to travel through the surrounding forest, but that road was destroyed by Sesshoumaru's poison whip. Everywhere the two fought, the poor earth and friends were beaten left and right.

Eventually, the sparring adversaries came to a stop when Naruto pinned her opponent to the ground with her hands and chakra arms. She smiled gleefully when the demon's eyes glared up at her, and then they switched positions when Sesshoumaru swiftly and powerfully overturned them. Now, it was the dog demon's turn to pin the girl's hands above her head with his only one. Cerulean-blue eyes locked with molten gold as the two breathed unevenly. Well, it was more like Naruto panting moderately, while Sesshoumaru's shoulders lifted slightly in faint exhaustion.

"It is my win," the silver-haired male announced dully, inwardly impressed. Most demons couldn't even keep up with him, yet this puzzling human could make him exert enough energy for a spar with his deceased father. It was pleasing to release his stress- not that he'd actually admit he had any- with a competent fight.

Annoyed at how freakishly strong the demon was, Naruto groaned, "Guh… I guess so." With her defeat, the shinobi decided that battling demons were the closest she would ever get to fighting against ninjas of her world.

She tried to move, but her opponent wouldn't let her budge. The girl glared up at him to convey her frustration.

"Hn. We agreed that you would give the information I seek, should I defeat you. And so I have," Sesshoumaru stated, eyes expressing his insistence for answers.

"But first, I have to ask, are you the power-hungry-obsessive type? Like 'I'm going to take over the world'?" Naruto inquired cautiously. It just wouldn't do if she was talking to a madman. Lord knows she's been through a whole list of them.

The dog demon scrunched up his nose in distaste and replied, "I am one of the strongest of my kind. I do not desire more trivial responsibilities than what I now possess, and I do not want false power, like the Shikon no Tama."

"Geh! I guess _that _news is out to the whole world now," the blonde girl groaned in loathing, then pouted, "Che." Sesshoumaru didn't react, so she grumbled miserably, "Fine. I'm not from this world, happy?"

The dog demon raised a brow and demanded, "Explain."

The blonde sighed and continued a bit more positively, "I am Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, a ninja of Konohagakure no Sato. I am also the Jinchuriki of the nine-tailed bijuu, Kurama. In my world, ninjas are one of the most powerful forces in the lands. We use an energy within ourselves called 'chakra' to use ninjutsu and genjutsu. Many of our medics use chakra to heal patients and stuff. There are other types of skills ninjas have that utilizes chakra, but I'm not the studious type, so I don't know a lot about them."

Still a bit skeptical, her companion inquired, "By what method did you arrive in this dimension?"

"Don't know, really. I was going to collaborate with my sensei's warping technique, but Tobi… er, Obito- the enemy I was fighting- used his own with an unfamiliar jutsu," Naruto informed the male, and finished with a shrug, "Then, I was whisked away to this world. Kagome's family took me in, and I'm grateful, but I still want to go home."

Sesshoumaru was unsatisfied with the vague answer, but released his captive anyway. He smelt no lies from her. However, he was curious about one thing. "What is this 'chakra'?" the demon asked, subtly interested.

Naruto raised a brow and simply said, "Trade secret."

He growled in annoyance. This wasn't going the way he wanted. "Then what is a 'Jinchuriki'?" he inquired.

"A Jinchuriki is as it states, 'power of the human sacrifice'. There are nine bijuus- in this world's case, a demon- and most of them have been sealed into humans, at one point or another. I hold the ninth and the strongest bijuu," the out worldly girl elaborated.

Sesshoumaru quirks an eyebrow and scathingly remarked, "Have the humans in your world become beyond selfish for power? To sacrifice one of their own for such trivial matters?"

Naruto spoke defensively, "I know it isn't nice, but it couldn't be helped! Bijuus are sentient masses of chakra in my world. I don't think there is a way to kill them. Not like I want to either. Kurama's my partner now. Besides, my parents and godfather trusted me to carry this burden, and I'm not going to let them down. With Kurama's help, I'm going to carry out all of our dreams and end the cycle of hatred! It's why I was named 'Naruto' after all."

Her demonic companion spoke slightly incredulously, "Your own sire placed this burden onto you?"

Then, the shinobi became sort of nostalgic and told him, "Yeah. Tou-san sealed Kurama into me the day I was born. He and Kaa-san didn't want to, but there was no other choice. He couldn't ask another person to sacrifice their child, and there was no time to look. It really hurt him to use me- his own daughter-, but he did it for my sake, my village's sake, and the world's sake. Kaa-san was pretty much the same, but she helped me control Kurama's powers. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have gotten Kurama to be my partner… You know, I remember when we met in my seal, she said 'I love you' to me. I was really happy. My parents really did love me. They trusted me to lead our world to a time of peace, and accomplish the Toads' prophecy."

"That is impossible. Generations of hatred will not perish because a mere human like you wishes it to be," Sesshoumaru declared callously.

"It's not!" Naruto protested. "Everyone came together to defeat Madara and Obito! They all understood each other and put aside their hatred for each other to save our world! Even though we don't ally ousrselves with the samurai, we did in the name of peace!" she exclaimed adamantly.

The dog demon scoffed and turned to leave. Not looking back, he says, "We will meet again, wench," and left on a conjured cloud.

* * *

On Kagome's side, the night sky covered up the day. The girl was supposed to be studying in her room, but the ticking of the clock hypnotized her to sleep.

Outside the slumbering female's window, a creepy and scarred mask appeared, cackling ominously.


	7. Shippou, Kikyou, and Miroku

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

A loud crashing sound had startled Kagome awake from her slumber. However, she disregarded the mysterious cacophony in favor of pulling an all-nighter. In the end, she cheered as she finished her exams the next day, looking forward to relaxing after a tedious venture.

Then, Hojo was timidly asking the girl to a date, and her friends were egging her to accept. But her teacher called her over to say that she needed to re-take her math test, since she flunked it.

* * *

As she walked home, Kagome was in a bind. The re-take exam was in three days, but she had promised Inuyasha that she would come back right after her regular ones. So into her thoughts, the girl did not register her hanyou companion leaping her way.

"Hey!" Inuyasha called out, grabbing Kagome as they went home.

"Inuyasha! Perfect timing! I have to tell you something," the troubled female said apologetically. "I need three more days here," she pleaded.

"What! No way! We've wasted enough time!" the dog-boy protested irately. The two had gone into the well-shed, and he was about to hop into the well.

"Sorry," Kagome replied, and kicked him down the well, much to his surprise.

* * *

In the middle of the night, a group of delinquents were harassing a middle-aged man. In the middle of their jeering, an ugly and bloody-looking woman stumbled their way. The woman wore the demonic mask that appeared by Kagome's window the night before.

"I'm grateful... So many in this world with evil souls," the creepy woman spoke brokenly. Then, her face broke open in half, revealing a vertical mouth with sharp, inhuman teeth. She bit into one of the delinquents, blood gushing out everywhere. The rest of them scattered in fright, and the creepy woman mumbled hungrily, "Not enough... The Shikon no Tama...I must have a stronger body."

* * *

Inuyasha was looking through one of the textbooks he stole from Kagome's room and wondered out loud, "(x/2) - (x/3) = 5? What kind of spell is this?"

Naruto, who was walking over to him, heard his words and corrected amusedly, "You dummy. That's not a spell, it's a math equation."

"Math equation? What's that?" the hanyou asked in confusion. The future sure had weird things.

The blonde rolled her eyes and shook her head dismissively, "Never mind. You wouldn't understand."

Face screwed up in irritation, Inuyasha snapped defensively, "Keh! I'm not stupid! If I wanted to, I could understand this crap."

"Uh-huh," Naruto let out with a raised brow. That wasn't what she meant, but whatever. "By the way, I'm going to go back home and relax for a bit. I totally miss future-inventions," she added at the last minute.

"Keh! Do whatever you want," Inuyasha replied sulkily, turning his back to her.

* * *

"Can I sleep here?" a frightened Souta asked his second eldest sister.

"Why?" Kagome asked with furrowed brows.

"Didn't you hear what happened in the park?" her brother inquired timidly.

Ah. Now the girl understood. The incident with the murdered people last night was the highlight of everyone's gossip. Kagome had suspicions that the woman in the noh mask wasn't human.

*Crash*

Suddenly, her window broke and the demonic mask appeared in the room. Behind it was a clump of melted people meshed together, and it gurgled, "Give it to me...the Shikon no Tama!"

"No!" Kagome yelled and threw her chair at the thing. Getting a hold of her brother and her shards, the girl ran out of the house, and towards the shrine steps. However, the demonic being scuttled after them, sending the siblings crashing towards the ground.

Quickly getting up, Kagome ran to lure the demon away from her brother and exclaimed, "Souta! Go to the well and call Naruto-nee and Inuyasha!"

"Eh! By myself?" Souta cried out in alarm.

"Hurry!" his sister insisted, running as fast as she could, the mask-thing following after.

Obeying her words, Souta scurried to the well-house, jumping into the well. Alas, he couldn't go through the time barrier like his siblings, and in panic pleaded, "S-Save me!"

"Souta?" a familiar feminine voice wondered in puzzlement.

Turning to the voice, the boy let a relieved smile grace his face and shouted happily, "Naruto-nee!" Then, he saw her companion and added, "Inuyasha!"

* * *

A pajama-clad Kagome ran across the streets, and glanced back to see the demonic clump of flesh following her trail. Hastily, the girl ran up the unfinished floors of a construction site, thinking that her enemy couldn't climb up. Unfortunately, the thing could, and stretched out its neck to devour her.

"**Sankon Tesso (Iron Reaver Soul Stealer)**!" came Inuyasha's cry, and the dog-boy appeared to cut the horrid clump of flesh. A flash of blonde appeared at the edge of Kagome's vision, and she saw a yellow blur force the demonic clump to fly a few feet away.

The two saviors turned back to see Kagome, and Souta, catching up from behind. "Hey, you guys okay?" Naruto asked her siblings. Her younger sister couldn't seem to speak, so the girl just nodded in affirmation.

"Hey," Inuyasha spoke up, looking at Kagome, "before I save you, I want an apology...for the other day."

"What?" the dark-haired girl questioned, tilting her head to the side uncomprehendingly.

Remembering how he was driven back down the well, the dog-boy elaborated with an irritated face, "How dare you kick me down the well...I want my apology!"

But then, Naruto kicked him on the head and interfered nonchalantly, "Now's not really the time. We've got a major pest problem in front of us. And...what is that thing?"

Chuckling creepily, the demonic thing said, "Several centuries ago...I was carved from the Judas tree pierced with a fragment of the Shikon no Tama. Since then, I've always wanted a body of my own, and consumed the living flesh of human beings… But these break so easily...To create the perfect body, I must have the Shikon no Tama."

Suddenly, a piercing pain erupted from its face, and the monster looked to see Naruto's chakra arm stabbing its head. "I don't really care," the shinobi replied with a bored expression. She pulled her hand back and the noh mask began to crack all over the place. The demonic mask howled in agony and withered into ashes.

* * *

Now back into the Feudal Era, the Shikon Trio was currently on a break, Naruto vacuuming her ramen while Kagome watched Inuyasha try out the instant noodles.

"Hey, this is good!" Inuyasha stated happily.

Blank-faced, Kagome replied, "I'm glad for you, but...how can either of you eat in a place like this?" The three were taking a break in a decaying war ground.

Unexpectedly, the world's color scheme turned a pale blue, and a swirl of fire appeared in midair.

"Fox fire?" Myouga wondered from Inuyasha's shoulder.

"You bastards… You have the Shikon no Tama, don't you?" a mysterious voice demanded from the fire.

Naruto and Inuyasha got into a battle stance, prepared to fight a potential threat.

*POING*

From the swirling, blue fire, a gigantic, PINK...round thing revealed itself.

. . . The pink _thing _hovered over to a dumbstruck Inuyasha and bit his head. Naruto couldn't hold it anymore and let her laughter out, loud and uncontrollable. Annoyed, her hanyou companion slapped the pink being and everyone watched as it deflated like a balloon.

*POP*

In the pink being's place, a young fox demon sat on the ground, rubbing his cheek in pain.

"A demon child?" a somewhat, mollified Naruto quirked an eyebrow. Was that little fox kit nuts? He didn't look strong enough to take on three grown adversaries, if becoming a pink balloon was all it could do. Inside her mind, the blonde could hear Kurama grumbling over 'a stupid kit'.

The demon kit stood up and yelled at Inuyasha with a raised fist, "Watchya doin' you jerk!"

The taller hanyou ignored the child's exclamation and lifted the youngster by his bushy tail. "A tail? I guess this must be a tanuki brat in disguise."

"I'm a fox, you baka!" the kit corrected irately.

Kagome, who was standing next to Inuyasha, gasped excitedly, "So cute! Let me hug him next, 'kay?"

Naruto sweatdropped and snorted humorously.

Suddenly, Inuyasha's arm was tugged down, and a weird-looking statue replaced the fox demon. Turning around, the Shikon Trio could see the young demon going through Kagome's bag. Triumphantly, the kit announced, "Here it is! Fragments of the Shikon no Tama." The demon child jumped into the air and vanished into a swirl of blue fire, but not before shouting, "Wahahaha! It's mine now! Farewell!"

The Shikon group was surprised, but heard a scuttling nearby. Looking to the side, they could see a skull with a 'bushy tail' attempting to scurry away. Naruto appeared to be bored, so she decided to make a clone, grab the moving skull, and play catch with it. To make the 'game' challenging, the blonde used chakra-enhanced throws, so the owner of the bushy tail would probably getting sick soon.

"Ah! Naruto-nee, don't hurt him!" an anxious Kagome pleaded as she watched her sister toss the 'hidden' fox demon around.

"Ah! Help me, someone!... I'm gunna be sick!" the voice of the fox kit screamed in discomfort.

* * *

"My name is Shippou," a dizzy-looking, and now skull-free, fox demon introduced himself. He sat beside Kagome, not trusting the blonde witch who sat across from him.

"Why are you after the Shikon no Tama?" a baffled Kagome asked as she treated the young demon's injuries from her sister's rough play.

"I want to get revenge on my Tou-san's enemy," the now-identified Shippou answered solemnly. Naruto narrowed her eyes a bit and became a little tense. Revenge came with a terrible definition in her mind.

"Hmm...so you wanted to increase your powers with our Shikon fragments," Inuyasha added thoughtfully.

Shippou boasted cockily, "Well, I'm already strong without the shards, but to fight my father's enemies, I would need more power."

Naruto rolled her eyes at the kid's declaration. He was like a mini-Sasuke.

* * *

As the Shikon Trio, Myouga, and Shipou traveled, Kagome asked, "Who're the Thunder-Beast Brothers?"

From Inuyasha's shoulder, Myouga said, "You mean Hiten and Manten? I hear they're hopelessly violent siblings."

The elder flea's hanyou charge scoffed and inquired, "No matter who they are, if we can destroy them, we'll get a bunch of Shikon fragments all at once, right?"

Then, Shippou had the gall to insult Inuyasha by calling the dog-boy weak, so in retaliation, the hanyou gave a big wallop to the fox kit's head. Somehow feeling happy, Inuyasha continued to bonk the poor kit some more.

"Inuyasha, that's awfully childish of you," Naruto spoke in amusement.

Shippou sniffled in pain and bowed to plead forgiveness, which Inuyasha naively accepted. However, the Higurashi sisters watched as the mischievious fox kit placed another statue-thing on the hanyou's hands. After that, the youngster placed a strange seal on the object, announcing gleefully that Inuyasha wouldn't be able to remove that thing.

Naruto was interested in the mechanics of the seal, so she scrutinized the markings on the tag. Traveling with Jiraiya had given her the initiative to learn her heritage, and the girl would've been a great sealing expert if her godfather had lived for a few more years. Now, all she had left was her own inventions and Kurama's knowledge.

Looking over the formula on Shippou's tag, Naruto noticed something. She grabbed a brush and inkwell from her pouch and started writing over the tag's markings. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to observe the blonde's odd actions.

Once Naruto finished her writing, the seal glowed a light blue for a moment, then became a normal tag. Inuyasha could feel the heavy weight disappearing and lifted the statue off of his hands.

Aghast, Shippou cried out in shock, "How'd you do that! That shouldn't be possible!"

"Trade secret," the shinobi replied blandly.

The fox kit gnashed his teeth together and grabbed the group's Shikon shards from Kagome's grasp. He ran away as fast as he could, sending a wall of blue fire in front of the Shikon Trio.

* * *

The Shikon group caught up to Shippou in no time, but saw an unwelcoming individual. A weird, snake-ish demon was trying to attack the young fox kit.

Quickly, Naruto leaped up to kick the offender in the head, sending the beasty youkai a few meters away from Shippou. The young fox demon ran over to Naruto's side, and the blonde picked him up to deposit the youngster in Kagome's arms.

A rustle was heard, and the shinobi could see the beasty youkai standing up. Making an agonized war cry, the demon opened its mouth to send a lightning attack. Naruto smirked and made a set of hand signs and cried out, "**Fuuton: Renkuudan (Drilling Air Projectile)**!" A huge compressed air bullet met with the odd lightning attack, overpowering it to sweep the beasty youkai off of his feet.

Suddenly, Naruto jumped away quickly, and in her previous spot, a pillar of lightning came down. Everyone present looked up to the sky to see a human-looking youkai say, "Manten, it seems that you've met some troublesome people."

The now-named Manten looked up to the other youkai and stuttered, "S-Sorry, Hiten-anchan. The yellow-haired bitch used s-some weird p-powers."

Hiten 'hmmed' and grinned ferally. He yelled out, "**Rai-Geki-Jin (Lightning-Strike Blade)**!" From the trident he held, lightning charged up the blade as the demon attempted to slash Naruto in half.

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and ran behind a boulder, not wanting to be caught up in Naruto's 'playtime'.

Grinning like a vixen, the blonde woman coated a kunai-holding arm with wind chakra, and met Hiten's blade with hers. Energy crackled between the clash of metal, and the pure demons present were stunned to see a human with weird powers. The energy felt like youki, but the woman did not smell like a demon.

Humming lightly to herself, Naruto strode up, clashing Hiten's blade left and right. Behind the shinobi, two clones came up to grab her opponent, but Manten interfered by sending his own lightning attacks. Leaping back a few feet, Naruto 'tsked' and made a clone to form her **Rasengan**. Curiously, the Thunder-Beast Brothers watched the strange human compress an out worldly energy into a swirling sphere. The blonde sent her clone as a distraction and quickly followed up from its shadow. As Naruto tried to hit Hiten with her attack, the demon laced lightning on his trident and blocked the incoming sphere.

"Hoh. You're kinda stronger than I expected of lightning nature," the shinobi told Hiten calmly. Even as the trident struggled to block her **Rasengan**, Naruto did not seem winded or nervous.

Hiten gritted his teeth and spat, "What do you mean, bitch?"

Not at all perturbed, the blonde replied, "I mean, I'm wind-natured, so your lightning is weak against me."

"Heh. That's impossible. A human like you can't have elemental powers like youkai," her opponent scoffed dubiously.

He got no reply this time, except Naruto's eyes turning into that of a toad's, and her strength suddenly doubling. Swiftly, the woman used her sennin strength to quickly eliminate Manten with a clone, and dug her own kunai into Hiten's chest, making sure to grab the Shikon Fragments the brothers had.

"Guh... Damn you!" Hiten snarled as his mouth poured blood. His opponent ignored his snarls and made sure to turn both brothers into toad statues. Once the demons were petrified, Naruto and her clone broke the statues with a firm punch.

There was a short silence before Shippou jumped out from Kagome's arms. "I-It's over?"

Inuyasha grumbled sulkily, annoyed that he couldn't fight against any one of the brothers.

* * *

"I'm back!" Kagome called out from her family well-house.

Unfortunately, Hojo had been visiting, and Naruto could see that Jii-chan had made another medical excuse to cover Kagome's disappearances.

"Hey, Jii-chan, what'd you make up this time?" the blonde asked as she came out of the well.

"I said Kagome had Neuralgia, but to think that Hojo is _this_ oblivious... it's just unbelievable," her grandfather replied incredulously.

* * *

The next day, Naruto had come to pick Kagome up from school, but some of the younger girl's friends decided they should all eat some ice cream. In a nearby park, some kids were playing in the sandbox when a firework went off next to the playground. A small girl came out of hiding and ran away with a mischievous smile, but frowned when Kagome and Naruto had caught up to her.

When the child wondered if they could see her, Naruto was instantly suspicious. Was this child a ghost or a demon?

* * *

"Why am I here?" an irate blonde shinobi asked her younger brother. Mama had told Kagome to escort Souta to the hospital, but Kagome had dragged Naruto from her nap to replace her.

"I'm visiting a friend," Souta replied apologetically. Naruto being interrupted from a nap was a no no. But, he felt safer with his ninja-sister than anyone else. "Hey nee-chan, 'poltergeists'...do they really exist?"

Warily, Naruto gazed at her brother and asked, "Why?" However, all the boy did was chuckle nervously and entered the hospital building.

It turned out that Souta's friend was in a coma from an odd accident six months ago. The shinobi immediately noticed the burns on the comatose patient's mother, and had a subtle warning bell ringing in her head. Then, suddenly, the patient's IV bottle exploded and Naruto looked down to see the mischievous child from before.

"No... not again," the patient's mother gasped in fright.

'Again?' the blonde thought suspiciously.

* * *

Naruto had made Souta lead her over to the burnt apartment the comatose patient had lived in. The ghost girl from earlier had been Satoru's- the comatose child- older sister, Mayu, who died in the fire six months ago. As the Higurashi siblings got closer to the apartment building, a window and a potted plant came crashing down. Quickly, Naruto grabbed Souta and jumped away to safety.

In front of them, Mayu floated down and a round demon, playing a flute with its eyes open, appeared next to the angry ghost.

* * *

"What! The Tatari Mokke's eyes were open!" a stunned Myouga asked Naruto.

"'Tatari Mokke'?" Kagome inquired curiously. She was sitting on the well's edge with Shippou next to her.

"Originally, it was a youkai that comfort's children's souls. While it plays its soul-calming flute, the children are safe, and it will watch over them until they enter nirvana. However…if the children cannot reach nirvana, the Tatari Mokke will take them to hell before they turn into poltergeists," the flea demon explained somberly.

In the end, Kagome begged Inuyasha and Naruto to help her save Mayu. They chased after the ghost, her Tatari Mokke playing its flute with wide and OPEN eyes. The Shikon Trio ran after them and Kagome had saved Mayu from going to hell.

* * *

A few days later, the new moon shown into the night sky, and the Shikon group discovered that it was also Inuyasha's most vulnerable time. They also discovered that the spider-head demons were possessing those in the temple they stayed in, so Naruto was the main source of defense. She had limitless amount of exploding tags and flare tags, where she kept them, the others didn't know. For some reason, the blonde felt like being sadistic and grabbed any small spider-heads, dangling them over a fire she made. The woman would cackle in delight when the beings would try to wriggle away, and lit them on fire when she got bored. Shippou found another reason to stay away from Naruto.

* * *

Another week passed, and Naruto noticed Inuyasha becoming restless. During the nights, she pretended to sleep to observe the hanyou's behavior, and realized that he was troubled over the close similarities between Kagome and Kikyou. He had a late reaction in the blonde's mind.

Then the next day, Inuyasha and Naruto felt a demonic presence in the direction of Kaede's village. They had hurried home and found out that Kikyou's bones had been robbed by the witch, Urasue. Kaede wanted to go after the witch, even while she was wounded, so the Higurashi sisters came as back up. Inuyasha came along, claiming he had nothing else to do, but Kaede and Naruto knew better. Even Kagome was beginning to notice the strange expressions the hanyou made when he looked at her.

* * *

Urasue discovered how similar Kagome was to Kikyou, so the witch kidnapped the time traveler, much to Naruto's growing hate. The shinobi's irrational mind caused her to enter the primary bijuu mode, scaring Inuyasha and Kaede. The blonde leaped ahead from the rest of the group and went after her sister's kidnapper.

When everyone arrived to Urasue's location, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice a Kikyou-look-alike sitting next to a trapped Kagome. "Kikyou," he gasped in shock.

That caused Kagome's soul to leave her body, towards the clay doll that looked like Kikyou. Growling, Naruto tried to attack the look-alike before Kagome's soul entered its body, but Inuyasha had intervened.

"What're you doing!" the distraught shinobi boomed angrily.

Stricken with uncertainty, the hanyou said, "Sorry." He moved out of the way, but it was too late. The soul entered the doll, and Kikyou was amongst the living, once again.

After that, things went out of control because Kikyou went on about betrayal and tried to attack Inuyasha. Naruto became more livid and blocked the revived priestess's bow range. "Return Kagome's soul!" the blonde demanded with her bijuu cloak and red eyes.

"Move, youkai!" Kikyou ordered with a strung arrow.

Naruto laughed mockingly and snarled, "I'm no youkai, than you are. Besides, you are supposed to be with the dead, so return my sister's soul! If you don't... I'll make sure you stay dead." The shinobi illustrated the seriousness of her promise by using more chakra, making Inuyasha and Kaede back away from the heated backclash.

Kikyou 'tsked' and got ready to fire her arrow, but Naruto's superior abilities put a major stop to that. As the blonde could not truly kill the doll, she backhanded its face, sending the Kikyou-doll crashing into a wall.

Then unexpectedly, Kagome recalled her soul back, but only a small portion stayed with the clay-priestess. Kikyou ran away, and Inuyasha chased after her, while Naruto went to her sister's side.

Anticlimactically, all the younger girl did was have a nightmare about a math test, then an English test. Feeling ripped off, Naruto bonked her sister on the head, and Kagome cradled her crown as she whined in pain.

* * *

In the middle of the day, a weird demon attacked Inuyasha, so Naruto sent a chakra-enhanced punch towards the thing. Unfortunately, Kagome's bike was stolen, along with the Shikon fragments.

The Shikon group chased after the thief, and ended up in a questionable establishment.

Inuyasha tore the door open and shouted, "I found ya, you stupid thief!"

The thief in question saw the group and ran out the side window, with Naruto and Inuyasha on his tail. The shinobi threw a kunai at the thief's feet, but he dodged it. Feeling excited at the prospect of an exercise, Naruto made two clones to roadblock the running thief. Of course, everyone, besides her companions, was surprised to see solid doppelgangers.

The original Naruto jumped into the air and send a kick towards the thief's head, but he blocked it with his staff. "My, my. You are one beautiful woman," the thief commented while grinning lecherously.

The shinobi realized that her opponent was like this world's Jiraiya, so she made her signature hand seal for the **Oiroke no jutsu**. The thief was very elated to see a naked woman before him, and passed out in a fine spray of blood, mumbling, "Ah... I have seen nirvana."

Other village men present were practically the same, and future travelers would know this moment as the 'Bloody Heaven'.

"Naruto-nee!" an arriving Kagome admonished her older sister loudly. The younger girl made sure to cover Shippou's eyes firmly. That technique was indecent!

Inuyasha was shocked beyond words, and fell on his ass when he unbalanced his Tetsusaiga on his shoulder.

* * *

When the thief woke up, he discovered that he had been tied up to a tree. Looking around, he saw the Shikon group sitting down near his tree, eating foreign noodles.

"Hmm… So the Nidaime Ero-sennin's (Second Pervy Sage) awake," said the fair-haired woman.

'Ero-sennin?' the thief thought.

"You know, I'm never gunna get tired of that nickname," the fox demon child commented in glee.

Then, the dark-haired girl walked up to the thief's tree and untied the ropes. The hanyou demanded irately, "Oi, Kagome, why'd you do that?"

She turned to her companion and explained, "He doesn't seem like a bad guy, despite his perverted reaction to Naruto-nee."

The thief whizzed up to the dark-haired 'beauty' and held her hands in his, beaming, "Ah, beautiful lady, I thank you for your generosity. My name is Miroku, and I hope you would be the one to bear me my child." The now-identified Miroku began to rub a hand against Kagome's backside, but Naruto grabbed that foul hand and tightened her hold on it.

Miroku flinched in slight pain and turned to his appendage's captor. Naruto's eyes glinted angrily, and her long hair was poised in the air like nine tails. Her aura just screamed retribution, and the pervert had stepped back a few paces. He may love feisty women, but the blonde one didn't seem like someone he should mess with.

"You...stupid Ero-sennin...no, you should be Ero-houshi (Pervy Monk)...touch my sister again, and I'll make sure you become a woman," Naruto hissed lividly.

"Ah, haha..." Miroku chuckled nervously.

* * *

"... And because of a youkai named Naraku, a curse has been placed upon me. There is a kazaana (wind tunnel) in my right hand, and every year… it'll grow big enough to swallow me whole," Miroku told the Shikon group in a somber tone.

Naraku...this demon was most likely the one who impersonated Inuyasha and Kikyou all those years ago, Naruto speculated. She 'tsked' because it was like fighting another Orochimaru. Both enemies used disguises and cursed people whenever they felt like it. Really, they should just make a warning label for snakes and spiders.

"I think we should collect the shards together. One day, we'll run into Naraku, so you'll be able to fight him," Kagome suggested as she held the Shikon shards.

Miroku just positively smiled and grabbed onto the girl's hands again, so Naruto decided to apply some drastic methods. Normally, castrating the man would've been great, but that wasn't permanent. Slowly and excruciatingly causing the pervert to become insane would be the best punishment the blonde could think of.

Holding Miroku up by his collar, the shinobi made a clone coat its fingers with chakra and yelled menacingly, "**Sennen-Goroushi (Thousand Years of Pain)**!"

*Stab*

The victim of the painful ass-poke paled and began to sweat profusely. Inuyasha and Kagome expressed horrified and dumbfounded faces, while Shippou laughed until he couldn't anymore.

Miroku shot up into the air, holding his posterior as he screamed in sheer agony. Tears were welling up in his eyes, and he turned to face the EVIL witch that dared to do such a thing.

Naruto grinned maliciously and hissed with fiery eyes, "May that be a warning to you, Ero-houshi. Disrespect my gender again, and I'll make sure you experience something way more unbearable than this."

The monk just nodded franticly, rolling in the grass because he couldn't endure the pain of his 'attack'.

* * *

On the road, the expanded Shikon group encountered a recently-made gore fest. Other demons had come and feasted upon human soldiers, and Inuyasha could smell ink, rather than blood.

"I don't like the feel of this," Shippou shuddered from Kagome's shoulder.


	8. Naraku

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

Miroku had parted ways for an odd reason, much to Kagome's disappointment. Naruto and Inuyasha couldn't understand why the girl would want to have such a pervert around.

Then, the hanyou smelt the peculiar scent of ink, and started sniffing a frightened traveler's scroll.

"Sit!" Kagome yelled in exasperation.

*BAM*

"Inuyasha, you don't do that to an ordinary person!" she chided the fallen male.

Annoyed that he was punished for 'no reason', the dog-boy began ranting how Miroku would get the Shikon fragments if they dallied any longer. Suspicious of the dark-haired girl's defensiveness towards the monk, Inuyasha had asked if she actually liked the 'bastard', and what the girl replied stunned the entire group.

'I love him?' Shippou, Inuyasha, and Naruto thought in unison. Shippou didn't fully comprehend the concept of 'love', except that you care dearly for someone; and Naruto thought her sister was joking. Over the two years the blonde had known her sister, Kagome didn't 'fall in love' so easily, especially in a few days. However, Inuyasha believed that Kagome was actually stating the truth, so he was kind of taken aback.

* * *

Naruto was walking casually as Kagome rode her bike across the unruly road, and the two noticed Inuyasha cornering another painter. The two girls sped up their pace, but stopped momentarily when an oni came out of the painter's chest. The oni attacked Inuyasha but he dodged, which gave the painter the opening to run away with a rowboat. When the hanyou cut his enemy with the Tetsusaiga, instead of blood, ink spilt across the ground.

As soon as Inuyasha realized that he was bathed in ink, he fainted into the puddle.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Naruto asked curiously.

Shippou shook his head in sympathy and replied for the dog-boy, "His nose is too sensitive. The stink musta' got to him."

* * *

It was night, and the Shikon group rested by a big house. From the opened doorway in the garden, they could totally see Miroku flirting with a young woman.

Ticked that he didn't heed to her warnings, Naruto marched up to the monk and gave his ass a mighty punt. The pervert jumped into the air and yelped in pain. Fearfully aware of a malicious presence, the monk nervously turned around to face his assailant. Seeing the blonde 'witch', he paled pasty white.

"Ah-haha...Naruto-sama, it's good to see you again?" Miroku squeaked in fright. 'Oh Buddha, this devote follower prays that you will save me,' he prayed mentally.

The blonde 'heathen' scowled and glared with all her might, "Wrong answer, Ero-houshi."

The last thing Miroku remembered was a _lovely_ fist implanting onto his face.

* * *

"Itai!" the revived monk hissed as Kagome applied medicine to his Naruto-induced bruise. Despite the pain, Miroku continued their conversation, "That painter...could it be that he has borrowed the power of the Shikon?"

"That's possible," Kagome agreed, and turned to a sulky Inuyasha, "Hey, how long are you going to be jealous?"

Immediately, the hanyou jumped to his feet and protested, "Who's jealous! I'm not jealous of anything! I just don't get why you want to depend on this pervert."

"Is that so, Kagome-sama...then you have been desperately searching for me," Miroku said to the girl, holding her hands like a lover would. Then, the perverse man felt someone glaring and growling at him, and quickly let go of the 'fair maiden'.

Twisting around to face an angry Naruto, he tried to placate the blonde, "W-Wait, Naruto-sama! I'm sorry, it's an involuntary reaction!"

"Involuntary reaction!" the shinobi repeated in scorn. "I'll show you involuntary reaction!" she snapped, fist raised high above her head like she did earlier.

Miroku jumped up and ran out of the room, squealing like a pig. The raging blonde chased after the fleeing monk.

"Naruto-nee!" Kagome whined in annoyance. Sheesh! How were they going to cooperate if one of them wants to kill the other?

* * *

To act as bait for the evil painter, Shippou would transform into the princess of the establishment. Naruto would act as a shadowed guard, staying behind the shoji screen, while the rest of the Shikon group would hide behind the bushes in the garden.

A clacking sound and whinny made everyone look up into the sky. Ink-demons were escorting a carriage through the air. Quickly, Naruto henged into a leaf, and told Shippou to hide her in his transformed sleeve. Obeying the shinobi, the fox kit hid the 'leaf', and followed her demonic escorts into the carriage.

As the entourage went back into the sky, Miroku rode Kagome's bike to follow them. Inuyasha fumed at the monk's brash actions, and carried the bike's owner on his back as they, too, chased after the carriage.

* * *

In the painter's hiding place, Shippou arrived, but couldn't hold onto his transformation any longer. Outraged, the painter told his 'minions' to kill the fox kit, but Naruto released her henge to save the child.

The crazy painter noticed Naruto's good looks and instantly became mesmerized. "Ha...ha...she may not be the princess, but her beauty shines like a goddess...I must paint it!" he spoke in frenzy.

* * *

The rest of the Shikon group caught up to the painter's hideout, and saw Naruto jumping out of the roof with Shippou on her arms. The blonde quickly leaped towards her companions, and all noticed a horde of ink-demons coming after her. Naruto looked back and gritted her teeth in frustration. She crossed the distance that separated her from her sister, and hastily gave the younger girl the dizzy fox kit.

Unsealing a kunai from her person, much to everyone's- sans Kagome and Inuyasha- astonishment, she swung wind towards the oncoming enemies. Miroku and Shippou could not see the attack, but they could certainly feel its power radiating from the blonde.

Despite their efforts, the number of drawings would not dwindle. Seeing no alternative, Miroku warned his companions, "Stand back! I'm going to use the Kazaana!"

Heeding his shouts, Naruto and Inuyasha took Kagome and Shippou behind the monk. The moment Miroku's arm was poised in the ink-demons' direction, a vacuuming force swallowed every single one of them. Everyone was awed by the amount of power the wind tunnel had, especially Naruto. Goddamn! She didn't think Kakashi-sensei or Obito could do that!

Then suddenly, the painter began to escape on an ink-dragon, but Inuyasha started to chase after him. The inhuman male jumped onto the dragon's back, and began to climb.

"Kagome, where's the shard?" Naruto asked her sister.

"Hmm...oh! It's in his bamboo pipe on his waist!" Kagome exclaimed excitedly.

Grinning ferrally, the blonde caught up to Inuyasha and called out to him, "Hear that, Inuyasha?"

Sporting a similar grin, the dog-boy replied, "Ah! Let's get this fucker!"

The crazy painter heard the hanyou's shout and unfurled a drawing, making more demons appear. Naruto 'tsked' and began to cut through the horde with her wind chakra. Inuyasha made sure to cover his nose, but he didn't know how long he'd last.

Once the drawings were all destroyed, the shinobi leaped up to the painter's spot. Even though the pathetic man begged for mercy, Naruto kicked him off his 'noble steed'. What did that baka take her for? Detecting lies is a major part of shinobi life.

Inuyasha jumped off the dragon, cutting it with his claws as he went. When the dog-boy reached the ground, the painter began to run again, but didn't notice the ominous bubbling that came out of the bamboo pipe. As Naruto also came back down, she observed the ink in the pipe 'devouring' the painter.

* * *

Miroku and Kagome caught up with their comrades, discovering the puddle of morbid ink. 'Shit. The Shikon fragment I went to such trouble to find is covered in evil. It's too dangerous for me to touch it,' Miroku thought in dismay.

However, Kagome surprised him by grabbing the shard, her powers purifying the taint in the shard. "I wonder who this one belongs to," the oblivious girl wondered aloud.

"Ah...please keep it, Kagome-sama," the monk answered humbly. 'I wasn't mistaken earlier. This girl can purify the fragment's taint.'

Naruto scrutinized him suspiciously, wondering what that monk was up to. She was also curious as to what the original-Naruto was doing at the moment. Things were boring on this side.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru was in the midst of a battle. Well, it was more of him testing out a new arm against 'weak' human armies.

Jaken appeared from the sidelines and congratulated his master, "As I expected, that arm torn from the blue oni you killed is certainly strong, My Lord."

However, Sesshoumaru stepped on his servant's face, replying distastefully, "Are your eyes useless holes, bastard? This still isn't of any use." Turning away from his useless retainer, the dog-demon ordered, "Go and look for a youkai with a stronger arm. Otherwise, I'll kill you."

"You seem to be in a fix," a strange voice remarked to the silver-haired male. Sesshoumaru turned to see a mysterious being wearing a baboon pelt. "Elder brother of that accursed Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru-sama, are you not?" the stranger inquired politely. Offering a human arm, the baboon being said, "This arm… please make a use of it."

Jaken squawked angrily, "Cut the jokes, fool! Isn't that a human arm?"

Nodding, the being continued, "This arm has a Shikon fragment embedded into it...and if you use a human arm, you'll even be able to use the demon-blade Tetsusaiga that Inuyasha carries."

At this statement, Sesshoumaru's interest piqued a bit. However, "Hn...bastard, for the sake of killing Inuyasha, you're saying you'll make use of me?"

"Quite right," the baboon stranger affirmed shamelessly.

The toad imp began to protest, but his master said, "Interesting... Then, I'll make use of this arm." Sesshoumaru took the arm offered with a smirk.

Taking out an odd hive, the baboon being added, "This nest should prove helpful to you..."

Scrutinizing him with subtle assessment, the dog-demon inquired, "Will you give me a name, foolish being?"

Grinning, the stranger answered, "Naraku is what I'm called."

Then, suddenly, the being called Naraku was sliced into pieces. But instead of flesh and bones, the creature turned into a wooden puppet.

Jaken waved his staff in battle-readiness, but it was for nothing when Naruto appeared. Figuring out that her victim was a puppet, the blonde began to curse quite colorfully.

Raising a brow, Sesshoumaru questioned the woman amusedly, "Is that creature an acquaintance of sorts, wench?"

Raising her own eyebrow, Naruto asked the dog-demon, "Why do you keep calling me 'wench'? I have a name you know."

He 'hnned' and replied bluntly, "I have no use for your name; therefore, 'wench' is satisfactory."

The blonde was a little irked, so she gave the demon 'the finger'. Of course, he didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but could guess that she was insulting him. With his good arm, Sesshoumaru sent a poison whip Naruto's way, but she dodged it.

Smirking, the shinobi said, "You know, I could go for another spar. I really need the exercise, and you're the best opponent to fight around here."

Even though he was looking forward to another bout with the powerful human, his question was still unanswered. "Before that, I want your reply," the demon demanded.

Shrugging her shoulders, Naruto responded casually, "Naraku is an enemy of Inuyasha, my monk companion, and possibly my sister. Kagome's supposed to be the reincarnation of Kikyou, a dead priestess, and I heard Naraku killed Kikyou. It's possible that he'll go after Kagome and her Shikon fragments, so I'm trying to eliminate him, you know." The blonde saw no reason to hide her intentions from Sesshoumaru because he would just smell the lies right off of her. An annoying trait of demons she loathed.

Not very satisfied, the dog-demon scrunched his face irately. This seemed to happen whenever he met the light-haired human, so he let it go...for now. When he truly desires it, Sesshoumaru will get what he wants.

However, he had to currently jump away, since Naruto decided to take his contemplations as a distraction, and send a biju chakra-enhanced punch. Throwing the human arm he held to Jaken, Sesshoumaru glared at his servant and ordered, "Hold onto the arm, and go back to Ah-Un."

Hastily obeying his master, the imp scurried away. The dog-demon's adversary looked curious and wondered, "Why do you have a human arm with you?"

Smirking, the demon told her, "If you wish to know, you will have to defeat me."

Naruto scowled in irritation, and went to take her frustrations out on her opponent.

* * *

In the end, Sesshoumaru had pinned the blonde's hands again, their bodies squished close on the ground. This time, Naruto tried to use her legs to escape the dog-demon's hold, so he had to lock them with his. To a spectator's eyes, it would seem like an intimate position for a male and female. But neither participant cared about such things, more concerned about pinning the other.

Sesshoumaru didn't expect it, but with a sudden burst of strength, Naruto had flipped them over, so she ended up straddling him as she firmly restrained the surprised male. Grinning triumphantly, she lifted her face to be a few centimeters before demon's and gloated with merry eyes, "I win this time, Sesshoumaru." Her blonde locks fell like a curtain around his face, and he could scent a hint of citrus from them.

After a moment, he removed the astonished look on his features, and glowered. This was NOT supposed to happen! How could a great daiyoukai like him lose to a human!

Clearly seeing his inner turmoil, Naruto cackled at him, overjoyed that she kicked the demon off of his high-horse. Glaring at the guffawing woman, Sesshoumaru stood up from the ground, effectively dropping the blonde to the ground. She hit her head on the earth, eliciting a small whine in pain as she cradled her noggin.

The great dog-demon rolled his eyes and began to walk away. Then, remembering his deal, Naruto ran after him, yelling, "Hey! You have to tell me what you want the arm for!" She stopped in front of Sesshoumaru, pointing a rude digit in his face, accusingly.

Swatting the offending finger away from his face, the dog-demon began to walk again, and replied, "It's a human arm that conniving bastard, Naraku, offered. With a human arm, it would be possible to wield the Tetsusaiga." There was no harm in letting the curious human know of his intentions; Sesshoumaru could just kill her later.

"You're still after that sword? And you accepted something _Naraku_ gave you?" Naruto asked incredulously.

The inquisitive male quirked an eyebrow, "The Tetsusaiga was rightfully mine...Is Naraku an irksome pest I should be informed of?"

Humming lightly, the shinobi walked beside the daiyoukai and answered with an eye glancing at him, "He'll be someone the whole world will find troublesome, if he hasn't already. With what I found out about him, he's not above bribery or backstabbing."

Scowling distastefully, Sesshoumaru said nothing. Naraku had to be watched. There was no way the dog-demon would let himself be incapacitated by a pesky insect. After the human arm expires, Naraku will be dealt with. But Sesshoumaru was curious about one thing, and questioned the woman beside him, "Not going to stop me? You are Inuyasha's companion, are you not?"

Shrugging her shoulders, the blonde said, "Even if you have a human arm, I don't think it'll work. I'm just tagging along for the ride." If Myouga was correct, even if Sesshoumaru obtained a mortal's appendage, as long as he did not have compassion for humans, he would fail.

The dog-demon wondered what the shinobi knew that made her sound confident in his failure.

Ignoring the dog-demon's inner ponderings, Naruto paused in her steps and furrowed her brows. "I feel like I forgot something."

* * *

"Wait, so you're telling me that you're a clone, and the real Naruto-nee is training somewhere else?" a steadily angry Kagome summarized.

A little nervous, the blonde clone nodded, afraid that her/its sister would blow up, forcefully enough, to make it dispel. Good lord, Boss is SO on her own when she comes back.

The Naruto-clone had accidently blurted out that she might've dispelled in the bout with the painter, forgetting her companions nearby. Now, the group was currently resting at another establishment, with Miroku conducting a false exorcism to earn their lodgings for the night.

A curious Miroku from the sidelines asked, "Clone? Are you talking about that 'copy' ability Naruto-sama used awhile ago?"

Scowling, Kagome nodded and snapped in annoyance, "Yeah. It's called the **Kagebunshin no jutsu (Shadow Clone jutsu)**. Naruto-nee is able to make temporary, solid clones."

The monk raised his brows up to his hairline and remarked thoughtfully, "Fascinating."

Inuyasha scoffed bitterly, "Their damn annoyin'. I hate sparring with them."

Remembering all the other times Naruto taunted the hanyou during their practices, Shippou snickered gleefully. It was hilarious to watch Inuyasha blow steam whenever Naruto-clones mobbed him. Those copies just trampled over the poor dog-boy like a stampede.

Suddenly, Kagome jumped to her feet, "I sense a fragment! It's approaching with incredible speed!"

Outside, the group heard a loud bellow, and they looked out to see a big ogre. On its shoulder, Sesshoumaru sat with Jaken behind him. The dog-demon smirked his half-brother's way, but it turned into a frown when a sandal was thrown at him.

Sesshoumaru turned to his right to see Naruto standing on a house roof, one foot bare and the other sporting identical footwear that was thrown at the dog-demon. The blonde crossed her arms together and held a stern face, which didn't match with her half-bare-half-covered feet.

Kagome sweatdropped, wondering why her sister thought it was a good idea to throw her dirty sandal at a powerful demon.

Shippou tugged on the dark-haired girl's sleeve and asked, "Ne, Kagome, is Naruto loony?"

Sighing in resignation, the girl replied, "Sometimes, I like to think so."

* * *

Ignoring the blonde's actions, Sesshoumaru toyed with Inuyasha by appearing right in front of his face. The elder of the two spoke condescendingly, "Your movements are slow as ever, hanyou."

Growling, Inuyasha shouted, "What the hell are you doing here?"

His half-brother 'hnned' and replied, "My business is with the Tetsusaiga you carry. Nothing more."

* * *

Behind a boulder, Miroku asked Kagome, "Is he an acquaintance of yours?"

However, Naruto, who sat on top of the boulder, saying she wanted 'front row seats', replied, "He's Inuyasha's half-brother, Sesshoumaru. He's full youkai, while Inuyasha's a hanyou."

Then, the blonde turned to face the fighting siblings and her eyes widened. "WHAT THE FUCK!" she yelled in bewilderment. Sesshoumaru's pelt thingy just MOVED! What the hell was that thing? Enviously, the shinobi pouted, "I want one."

Kagome looked up at her sister in surprise, "Why do you want that?"

Naruto gazed down at her sister with a 'are you blind?' expression. "Look at it! Normally, it can be an inconspicuous piece of accessory, but you can use it as a weapon when you need it! Shinobi material, I tell you!"

Her companions sweatdropped. Of course, Naruto would want the pelt for fighting uses.

* * *

They all continued to observe the fighting siblings, and were shocked to see Sesshoumaru obliterating a horde of demons in one swing. Naruto pulled a Tenten and had stars in her eyes.

Kagome thought this had gone long enough, so she ran out to interfere with the fight. But then, Sesshoumaru had to point out that he would just kill her and Inuyasha, which was a big no, no in Naruto's book.

The shinobi glared at the dog-demon, her hair poised like Kurama's nine tails. Frightened, Inuyasha carried Kagome and ran back to Miroku's boulder.

And Miroku...he had the sudden urge to act heroic and use his Kazaana to eliminate the enemy. Of course, Sessoumaru used the hive Naraku gave him, which poisoned the monk. Naruto bombed the rest of the pesky insects, making those with sensitive hearing temporarily deaf.

Then, Inuyasha came over to resume his fight with his half-brother, both getting their guts pierced by claws.

Next, Kagome decided to launch arrows towards the dog-demon's left arm. Annoyed, Sesshoumaru was going to kill her with his claws, but Naruto intervened. Didn't she just **fuckin'** show him that messing with Kagome was a no, no?

Growling in anger, the blonde went in her biju mode and sent chakra arms towards her current enemy. Sesshoumaru 'tsked' and dodged all attempts on her person. Yet, Naruto swiftly appeared to his left and tore the human arm away, making sure to grab the Tetsusaiga. "You fuckin' don't touch my sister," she snarled at her opponent.

Sesshoumaru stared at her, impassively. It would be problematic to fight against someone almost as strong as himself, while he was handicapped. Turning away, the dog-demon ordered Jaken, "Let's go. It's pointless to stay if I can no longer touch the Tetsusaiga."

The imp scampered after his master.

The Shikon group gazed at the departing duo on Sesshoumaru's cloud.

Inuyasha collapsed, and everyone else went to him. But Naruto looked back towards the departing Sesshoumaru's direction and narrowed her eyes.

* * *

Leaving a clone with her sister… AGAIN, the real Naruto went after Inuyasha's half-brother. When she found him, there was a beheaded baboon pelt in the clearing. Leaning on a tree, the shinobi said, "Told you Naraku was bad news."

Jaken squeaked in surprise, while Sesshoumaru glanced back for a moment. The daiyoukai 'hnned' and responded dully, "Indeed." He began to walk again, heading towards some unknown direction.

However, Naruto wouldn't let him go and froze him with a seal. The dog-demon glared at the blonde, but she just said, "You can't go yet. You're bleeding all over the place."

He quirked a brow and pointed out, "My youkai heritage will heal me."

The woman rolled her eyes and replied, "Yeah, but I can make it go faster. I don't have anything against you really, but if you hurt my sister, that's a different story."

The demon gazed at the blonde blankly, and observed her actions as she removed the contraption that immobilized him. Then, Naruto stunned Sesshoumaru when she commanded him, "Strip."

The nearby Jaken squawked in indignation and began to yell at her, but she threw him across the forest. Turning to her 'patient', the shinobi found him looking at her incredulously.

"What?" Naruto asked.

Regaining his composure, Sesshoumaru replied, "Do you understand what you may have intended to say? If I were an imbecile, I would have believed that you were ordering me to take part in questionable activities."

Satisfactorily, he smirked as the woman blushed a deep red. But she protested, "T-That's not it! I'm saying to take off most of your clothes so I can treat your wounds!"

The demon rolled his gold eyes and said, "I know."

"Then why did you say that I was asking you to, t-to have sex with you!" Naruto yelled irritably.

"I did not say that. I merely pointed out what your words might have meant to those with diminutive brains," Sesshoumaru replied in annoyance.

The woman scoffed and dismissed the whole conversation by going up to him, and tugged on his clothes. "Get out of your clothes so I can heal you."

"I refuse," the prideful demon responded disdainfully.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Naruto swiftly used a seal that would paralyze the stubborn male. Triumphantly she looked into his stunned eyes and cackled, "I'm not taking no for an answer."

Next, the blonde made sure to carefully take off Sesshoumaru's armor. She also made sure to remove the clothes from his upper body, so that she could treat his stomach. It was humiliating in the demon's mind.

Scrutinizing the extent of his wounds, Naruto clicked her tongue in annoyance. Muttering things under her breath, she set out to coat her hands with medical chakra. Tsunade had given her books before, but with the little control the powerhouse had in her younger years, it was impossible to attempt medical techniques. With years of training, and creating new seals, Naruto had the competent ability to apply medical procedures.

So now, Sesshoumaru could only watch in fascination as the warm energy knit his innards back together. Even with demonic healing, this 'chakra' was certainly faster in that department. It would be a waste to kill the woman now.

* * *

With the Shikon group, Inuyasha had the most 'brilliant' idea to permanently block Kagome from coming back to the Feudal Era. Of course, Naruto-Clone got angry, since it was sure Boss wanted to go home, once in awhile. But Inuyasha just scoffed and had an 'I know something you don't' expression on his face. Annoyed, the clone dispelled, letting the original know what had transpired.

* * *

The real Naruto jerked when new memories came in. She was resting after healing Sesshoumaru's wounds, the patient redressing in his clothes as she sat down.

Seething, the shinobi snarled, "Stupid...Idiotic Inuyasha!"

Curious, her demonic patient inquired, "What has the foolish hanyou done, now?"

Snorting inelegantly, the woman replied, "He blocked my way home- to my adoptive family's side." Sighing, Naruto stood up, brushing dust away from her clothes and began to go back to Kaede's village. "Ja ne, Sesshoumaru."

The said demon 'hnned' and, he too, walked away.


	9. Sango

**Lol! When I wrote about the bald head, I was thinking what would happen if Naruto met Ikkaku from Bleach! XD**

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

Grumbling obscenities, Naruto tore the tree that was stuffed down the well into pieces with her wind chakra. Hopping into the well, she made it to the other side, despite Miroku theorizing that only the Shikon fragments could allow the crossing. The shinobi had always suspected that since she technically wasn't of this world, such things did not apply to her.

Once inside the twenty-first century's well-house, Naruto jumped out of the well and stomped her way towards the main house. "Mama! I'm home!"

Hurrying towards the entrance, Mama appeared, and gasped, "Oh my. I thought Kagome said the well stopped working?"

"It did, but I don't think this world's mechanics apply to me," the blonde remarked thoughtfully.

Smiling welcomingly, Mama said, "Well, close the door, sweetie, and I'll make you some ramen."

Perking up at her favorite meal, Naruto quickly did as she was told. Fuck yes!

* * *

Going to visit Kagome at school, Naruto hopped up to the cagey fence and shouted, "Hey, Kagome!" Currently, her sister's class was P.E., so it was easy to find the girl.

The middle schooler turned towards her sister, and was glad to see the blonde. Naruto came over to the other side of the fence and ruffled Kagome's hair in greeting.

"Naruto-nee! How'd you come back?" the younger of the two asked.

"I don't think what this world runs on works on me, so I guessed that I don't need the shards to come back," the elder replied.

Kagome sulked slightly. But she didn't notice something that her sister did. Naruto's shout had garnered the attention of some students, especially boys. Since the day the blonde had started picking her sister up from school, the males were enamored by the exotic beauty. There was a small fan club in the older woman's honor, much to her annoyance. And now, the shinobi's superior hearing could pick up the gossip and whispers from the developing teens.

"Hey, isn't that Naruto-sama?" one flustered boy asked his friends.

"Yeah, it's Naruto-sama!" another whispered back.

"Isn't she lovely?" a third sighed in happiness.

"Hey, didn't her bust get bigger?" a bold male wondered aloud.

At each word she heard, Naruto's vein throbbed angrily. As a result, she acted like her younger-self would, and yelled at the charmed boys, "Fuckin' hell! Stop talking about me, you hormonal little brats!"

The group of love-struck boys flinched at her tone, and ran away. The P.E. teacher heard the woman's language and yelled back, "Higurashi! Don't cuss in this school! And aren't you supposed to go through the office first?"

Whistling innocently, the blonde said nothing. Figuring she broke the regulations, the teacher sighed and muttered, "Why do I even bother?"

His fellow colleague patted his shoulder and sympathized, "It's okay. She's done that to me too. It's a miracle that she even graduated high school! I pity her old teachers."

* * *

After she was kicked out of the school, Naruto ventured out into the city. Like with the younger boys, she attracted the attention of other males, but this time, they were either her age or older. Of course, the blonde ignored the stares with a sour look on her face, stomping her way across the streets.

Then, she paused in her steps, noticing something that didn't cross her mind before. Gazing up at an enormous business building, the woman narrowed her cerulean eyes as she read the name of the company. "_Taisho_ Inc.?" Naruto whispered incredulously. 'No way!' the shinobi thought in shock. Could it be? Could Inuyasha have survived all these five hundred years? Or was it Sesshoumaru? Maybe a descendent?

Unable to drive off her curiosity, the shinobi walked into the building with a calm disposition. Walking up to the female receptionist, Naruto cleared her throat, gaining the employee's attention, and asked, "Excuse me, but is there someone named Sesshoumaru that works here?"

The receptionist narrowed her eyes a little, which chimed bells in the blonde's mind. Did Sesshoumaru really exist in this time?

Warily, the receptionist replied, "May I ask why?"

Naruto looked thoughtful and spoke carefully, "Hmm... Depending on who you ask, you could say that we're past acquaintances."

Of course, the other female didn't seem convinced and said, "I'm sorry, but that does not give you any clearance to see Sesshoumaru-sama. He is a very busy man."

Snorting gracelessly, the blonde responded humorously, "I know that. I'm just asking if he was here. I believe you should work on your comprehension skills...youkai." Naruto began to walk away at the last part, surprising the receptionist with her accurate accusation.

The shinobi was about to cross over to the doorway, but a familiar-but older voice made her pause in her steps. "Still as bold as ever… Naruto."

Said woman turned to gaze at an older and more _modern _Sesshoumaru; eyes wide from him calling her by her proper name. The daiyoukai walked up to her and smirked.

Then suddenly, Naruto began to giggle uncontrollably, clutching her stomach in apparent agony. "O-Oh God! _You_ of all people- no, _youkai_- a rich and 'human' businessman? I'd thought I'd never see the day when the Great Ice-Prick would turn in his armor for a business suit!"

Sesshoumaru crinkled his nose in annoyance and flicked the laughing blonde's forehead. Naruto whined in sharp pain, glaring at her assailant childishly. Of course, being the demon he was, Sesshoumaru ignored it, turned towards an elevator, and firmly told the blonde, "Come. We have much to discuss."

Muttering insults behind his back, the shinobi followed, leaving bewildered workers in their wake.

* * *

The two exotic beauties came into a spacious office; lined with comfy sofas and huge windows. Naruto stared in awe at the view she got of Japan. She never tried to go onto roofs because of how much security this world seemed to have.

Sesshoumaru watched the blonde gaze out towards the windows, a smug smirk still painting his face. He would never tell the lovely female now, but he had missed her presence, all these long years. But, thinking she could see the view some other time, the demon spoke, "Naruto, come sit down. We can talk while waiting for tea."

Gazing longingly at the windows one last time, Naruto pouted as she made her way over to the demon. In Sesshoumaru's mind, he really didn't know if he could go through with this meeting. If the female kept on pouting like that, he didn't know if he could keep his hands to himself. It had been many, VERY LONG years without any form of intimate contact. It was taking his whole willpower to not jump on her. Right. This. Minute.

Unknowing of his thoughts, Naruto asked, "So...how's life been for you?"

Subtly attempting to regain his stoic composure, Sesshoumaru answered neutrally, "It has been many years since our last meeting. Times have changed, and so have people. Demons all over the country have adapted to the change; some willing, while others remained stubborn. I have assimilated myself into this society as Taisho Sesshoumaru, a wealthy CEO. What has been happening in your life, enigmatic shinobi?"

Shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly, the woman responded conversationally, "Oh you know... going back and forth from the Feudal Era, getting jobs, taking care of the family, and research."

"Indeed," the demon quirked a brow and continued, "I did not realize just _where _you and Inuyasha's wench had been residing, until your pictures were published."

"Pictures?" Naruto inquired in bafflement. What pictures?

Rolling his eyes at her forgetfulness, Sesshoumaru elaborated, "Your pictures from your modeling days. My company has a trading agreement with the company that you worked for, and I must say, I did not expect you to let yourself be known to the media." He smirked as the woman blushed in realization. However, he went on a little wickedly, gold eyes glinting with mischief, "Although, I didn't mind you showing so much skin. You should model in bikinis more often."

Eyes bulging in her sockets, Naruto exclaimed with a gaping mouth, "Changed? You've more than _changed_, Sesshoumaru! You've… you've become _perverted_! I didn't think it was possible!"

Sniffing daintily, her companion replied, "Times have changed, as I said before. You could not possibly believe that I would not come to appreciate the opposite gender, eventually? It has been five _hundred_ years, Naruto."

The woman continued to look at him in disbelief. "Yeah, but I didn't think _you _would give into your desires! You were too stubborn for your own good sometimes!"

Nodding in agreement, Sesshoumaru spoke again, a subtle glint of sadness expressed through his eyes. "Yes... I was… it has cost me something of great significance. I can never take back my decisions, all those years ago. They had ultimately taken away my most treasured entity." Naruto didn't understand why he was sad all of the sudden. Did something bad happen in the past?

Uncertain about how to change the mood, the blonde said, "Er... I don't know who or what you've lost, but cheer up. You can't sulk forever. It doesn't suit you, Sesshoumaru."

Chuckling at her naivety, the daiyoukai tried to go with the change of pace. It wouldn't do if he began to break apart in front of her. She wasn't _her_. "Yes, sulking shouldn't be my priority," the aching demon agreed in a low tone. Alas, the great Sesshoumaru could not win against this out-worldly woman. Thinking of someone else he would never get to be with anymore, the miserable demon thought, 'You have always triumphed against me, haven't you?'

* * *

Naruto fidgeted in the car. For some reason, Sesshoumaru _offered _to drive her home. The woman still could not get used to the present-Sesshoumaru's behavior. And the demon seeing that, made fun of her, which got the blonde to accept his offer.

The ride was silent, except for that one conversation. The daiyoukai had forbid her from telling anyone that she had met him. It would mess up the timeline, he said, but Naruto could not help but think that something else was going on. His words did not match with his tone. Sesshoumaru's tone unintentionally made it sound like he desperately wanted to change the future, but she couldn't understand why. Just what happened, or will happen, that would make the Ice-Prick become so gloomy?

When they arrived at the base of the shrine steps, Naruto gave a consoling kiss on his cheek, which surprised her companion. The daiyoukai looked like he wanted to do something, or say something, but stubbornly kept to himself. In respect for his privacy, the shinobi did not press the issue, and said her good-byes; walking up the shrine steps at a sedate pace.

If only the woman had looked back, she could have seen the hopeless and yearning expression Sesshoumaru had on his features; bloody, clenched fists by his side.

* * *

The next day, the Higurashi sisters had decided to go back into the past. Naruto needed some time to herself, trying to catalogue the present-Sesshoumaru's change into her system. Kagome wanted to go back and fulfill her duty, also wanting to sit Inuyasha into the next week.

"I'll try and go get the shards, so just stay in here, okay?" the blonde told the dark-haired girl as they stood inside the well-house. The younger of the two nodded, a little nervous. Then, the elder just had to ask, "Hey, 'Gome, why do you always have to wear your uniform? I don't think it'll be comfortable in the Feudal Era."

Scratching her head, the middle schooler replied, "I don't know."

Naruto rolled her eyes and told the girl, "Why don't you change into some comfy shoes and pants. At least have another pair of clothes in the bag, too. It'll take awhile to get the shards, so you'll have enough time."

Kagome nodded in agreement, and went back into the house to change.

Once she was gone, the blonde sighed and jumped into the magic well, disappearing in a bright, blue light.

* * *

"Hmph. How shrewd. Even if they erect a pathetic barrier..." a baboon pelt-wearing Naraku observed contemptuously.

Then, a sharp blade was held against his throat. "My, my. You've been an awfully busy bee… Naraku," a feminine voice mocked from behind.

The individual in question froze, but didn't seem too threatened. "Hoh. You… you must be the woman who has been interfering with my plans, lately." He glanced back to see Naruto gripping her weapon with a blank face.

"And you must be the pest who's been making my life troublesome," the blonde countered condescendingly.

Her captive chuckled and spoke pleasantly, "Now, now. No need to be upset. I'm certain a powerful being like you could defeat me in no time at all. It's a shame that we are enemies, at the moment."

Raising a brow, the shinobi demanded warily, "What're you getting at? I'm not going to join your side."

Naraku sighed pityingly and replied, "'Tis a shame. We could have accomplished many things together… For example, I could grant you a wish that you desire the most."

Narrowing her eyes, Naruto hissed and beheaded the evil being, but not before telling him, "Even if you could grant me my wish, I would never join you. I will live the way I want, and achieve my dreams on my own."

Naraku's departing laughter filled the air, and he left her with a short message. "In the end, you are only a mortal. You cannot resist your inner desires."

The blonde growled and stomped away from the puppet, intending to help Kaede stop the demonic canines attacking her.

* * *

As Inuyasha fought Ryoukan, a possessed canine-demon, he and Naruto paused in their steps. "Kagome's here!" the hanyou exclaimed in dread. Why did she come back?

"Damn it! There's no end to this!" his blonde companion complained in frustration. Fuck this. She was going to spam clones, damn it! "**Kagebunshin no jutsu**!"

*Poof*

A fresh mob of Naruto-clones trampled the battlefield. The original Naruto cackled maliciously and declared, "Hahaha! Minions, attack! Leave none alive!"

One disobedient copy protested, "Hey! We've been working nonstop! We want workers' rights, damn it!"

Annoyed, the original argued, "You're MY clones! You don't get breaks!"

Another clone retorted, "You've been gettin' lazy Boss! Do things on your own for once!"

A vein throbbed dangerously on real-Naruto's head and she yelled, "Shut up! Get to work before I kill you guys!"

One clone scoffed and remarked, "You stupid? We're _clones_, Boss. You can't _kill _us."

Its fellow copy also added, "Yeah, yeah! Besides, we're _you_. You're arguing with yourself, dumbass! Baka, baka!"

"Why, you!" the original cried out in anger. She dispelled all her clones by punching them all, and spammed new ones. The powerhouse made sure to make them less independent.

Nearby, Miroku and Inuyasha watched the proceedings with dull faces. "See? Told you they're annoyin'," the hanyou told the monk.

Nodding in agreement, Miroku said, "Yes. I completely understand now, Inuyasha."

* * *

A few minutes later, everyone rescued Kagome from impending doom, but she began to argue with Inuyasha.

Suddenly, the girl felt the presence of a Shikon shard and exclaimed in surprise, "There's a shard nearby!"

Her hanyou companion saw a baboon creature behind some trees and leapt after it. Naruto narrowed her eyes. Just how many puppets did Naraku have?

* * *

"You… you're the bastard Naraku, aren't you," Inuyasha accused with a snarl. Cracking his knuckles, the dog-boy asked, "Just what kind of grudge do you have against me, bastard?"

Naraku chuckled nostalgically and replied, "Grudge? Let's see… fifty years ago, on the day when I, Naraku, was born… I was in Onigumo's cave, but… you can actually thank Kikyou for that." The rest of the Shikon group caught up and heard him continue, "Kikyou's holy powers were weakening every day, and she could no longer hold back the youkai of this world… Why do you think that is, Inuyasha?"

Said hanyou grit his teeth, somewhat knowing the answer. However, Naraku spoke his thoughts aloud, "It's because Kikyou fell in love with a worthless hanyou, and degraded herself into a powerless woman… Onigumo's evil thoughts drew in youkai, and when they came together, one was born…me."

Then the enemy said, "You… all because of a worthless hanyou like you, Kikyou chose to die, taking the Shikon no Tama with her. I failed to gain the power of the jewel… what a worthless, stupid woman." Inuyasha snarled when he realized that Naraku had deceived both him and Kikyou, fifty years ago.

Naruto tensed nearby, feeling Inuyasha's emotions spiraling dangerously. Like she knew he would, the dog-boy attacked Naraku, but the evil thing began to retreat to the sky. Miroku threw his staff at the enemy, knocking the baboon mask off of being's face.

Chuckling forebodingly the revealed enemy let lethal miasma leak into the atmosphere, and everyone had to step back. However, Inuyasha refused to retreat, and continued to march after Naraku. Swinging a transformed Tetsusaiga around, the hanyou attempted to cut his target, but Naraku vanished with a curse.

Walking back to the others, Inuyasha told Kaede, "There was a spider-like mark on Naraku's back."

The elderly woman looked thoughtful and said, "Onigumo had many burns all over his body… Could it be that the mark is something remaining of Onigumo?"

'Hoh… an identification, perhaps,' Naruto considered in her head.

* * *

Currently, Inuyasha was grumbling because the group had to watch over a dead princess.

Miroku, who was looking forward to meeting the younger princess, who was alive, cried a river of tears when she turned out to be… a little chubby. Naruto snickered in glee because she thought the pervert deserved it.

Suddenly, the candle-light went out, and an eel-like demon came to take the dead princess's soul. Of course, Inuyasha killed the demon, but he felt like it was too easy. Everyone one else ran outside, and saw other soul stealers carrying off souls.

Miroku bade his companions to hurry and go after them, crying as the chubby princess clung onto his arm. Kagome and Shippou observed the scene with sweatdrops, wondering what he had been doing all this time.

* * *

Alas, since everyone was trying to get the distraught princess away from Miroku, they had lost the soul stealers. The next day, the Shikon group was taking a break by a sparkling river. Naruto took this time to train with her wind chakra, trying to manipulate it to carry water, similar to what Hinata did on that one mission to find that tracking bug-thing. It was difficult, since the water felt heavy against the condensed air, but the shinobi managed to get three jets swirling around her as she stood on the surface.

Her companions observed in awe, never seeing something so amazing or beautiful before. However, it got anticlimactic when the jets abruptly dropped back into the river, with Naruto wheezing in exhaustion.

Sitting down on a boulder, she gasped, "Geh… I'm so tired. Didn't think it would be this hard."

On land, Shippou and Kagome clapped for the blonde's performance. "That was so cool, Naruto-nee!" the girl replied with starry eyes.

Her sister smirked and boasted happily, "Isn't it? I can do more cool stuff than this!"

Bouncing as he sat, Shippou begged, "Really? I wanna see, I wanna see!"

Laughing confidently, Naruto began to mold chakra again, but glanced to her right. She stopped and scrutinized the shiny thing in the distance. "What's that over there?"

* * *

The shiny thing ended up being the _bald_ head of an apprentice monk. The monk got scared of Kagome, thinking she was a demon for a second. Then, he revealed that Kikyou had been stealing souls, and killed his master.

Distressed, Inuyasha told his companions to stay away, while he went after the undead priestess.

Naruto glanced at her sister and noticed the girl's disappointed expression. Really, sometimes, the shinobi thought that her sister was too… nosy. As a ninja, it was given that Naruto and her comrades should respect their allies' privacy. True, the blonde had been like her sister, in her younger days, but the war put a stop to that.

The woman sighed, thinking that Kagome would have to just learn the hard way. The girl was similar in that aspect with Naruto. They both had to be in 'fight or flight' mode to understand something important.

* * *

When Inuyasha left, Miroku thought it would be a good idea to spy on the lovers' reunion. Then, the man said something that resulted in a cold glare from Kagome. Naruto snickered and rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, a soul stealer floated by, and Kagome ran ahead, leaving her sister to get Miroku out of a ditch.

* * *

When Naruto and the others caught up to Kagome, they found her sitting Inuyasha. After that, the girl started to stomp her way to the well's direction.

As they walked, Miroku pestered Inuyasha for information, and the hanyou said, "Nothing really happened! It's what you do with girls."

Of course, the perverted monk thought it was something else entirely, and replied faintly, "You… you did such an improper act in front of Kagome-sama?"

Ticked that the monk suggested such a thing, Naruto bonked him on the head.

* * *

Later, Shippou, Miroku, and Naruto were about to eat around a fire, when Kagome and Inuyasha passed by… for like the seventh time.

Seeing the drama beginning to unfold, the pervy monk hid behind a bush and eavesdropped on the two individuals. Normally, Naruto would hit the monk for it, but couldn't resist either. She had done this to Kakashi and all of her other friends in the past, and every single time she did, it turned out funny.

Then, the blonde noticed Kagome leaning on Inuyasha's back. Squinting her eyes, the woman sighed and began to walk away. "How anticlimactic. Can't believe Kagome would fall asleep after Inuyasha's 'compelling' speech."

* * *

A few days later, Naruto decided her sister didn't need her for the day and went off to train. However, a day later, Kagome's emergency **Hiraishin** seal went off, and the blonde reappeared. The shinobi saw an ugly brute attacking a HUMAN Inuyasha. Ah, shit.

"Hey, 'Gome, what's going on?" she asked her sister.

Relieved to see her sibling, Kagome breathed, "Nee-chan. This guy… he claims to be a sennin (sage/hermit). He took the shards and was killing people, feeding them to a demonic tree."

An eyebrow ticked and Naruto growled. Making clones, the blonde gathered sen-chakra, going into sage mode. That stupid fat ass was trashing the sennin title! She'd show him who the better sage was!

"Hey, dumbass hermit!" the blonde taunted her new enemy. Grunting angrily, the ugly hermit turned to face the angry Toad Sage. "Take this!" Naruto cried as she shoved a **Rasengan** in his face. Her target screamed in agony because she took the shards out from his belly, thus his armored skin became fleshy. Taking several steps back, the bloody hermit fell off of the cliff.

Satisfied, Naruto crossed her arms together and grinned. Shannaro!

* * *

After resting from the strange encounter, the group ran into a village when Kagome sensed a shard; and found demonic corpses littering the floor. Eyes shining brightly, our favorite shinobi ran like a child, climbing up on top of a dead centipede demon. "Wah! So huge! Hey Kagome, come over here! This thing's enormous!"

A villager stared at the enigmatic woman incredulously and yelled after a moment, "Hey you! Get off of that thing, it's not a toy!"

But Naruto did not listen, and began to write seals on the dead thing. Once the seal was complete, the centipede began to move, alarming the villagers.

"Run for your lives!" one cried out in horror. People began to run all over the place, and didn't notice that the centipede was only moving like a puppet.

A bit exasperated by Naruto's antics, Kagome yelled at her sister, "Naruto-nee! Stop doing that! You're scaring them away! Are you trying to make them hate us?"

Laughing as she rode her new 'steed', the blonde replied, "Oh, come on, 'Gome! We haven't had fun in awhile! Hey Shippou, wanna try this thing?"

The fox kit looked longingly at the fun the woman was having, but was afraid of the centipede. Seeing this, Naruto grabbed him and put him in front of her. "Hold on tight Shippou!" she warned the child, fed her seals some chakra, and the centipede took to the air. The two raced through the clouds, and Shippou cheered and pleaded to go a little faster. Of course, our fun-loving blonde couldn't resist, and did as he requested.

Down below, Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, and the village's people stared up at the flying centipede in shock. Some of the braver village children longed to try out the 'toy'.

Miroku looked thoughtful for a moment, and said, "You know, why didn't we do this before? It would have made our travels much easier."

Inuyasha scoffed and replied, "Do you see huge demons every day? What you're askin' for is something like Hachi. He could fit us all and have room to spare. Not all demons are like that, ya' know. Besides, Naruto didn't tell us she could do _that_." At the end, the hanyou pointed at the puppet-like centipede Shippou and their blonde companion rode.

But the monk countered, "Yes, but now we know. If we ever encounter large demons like this long centipede, we can ask Naruto-sama to get us a ride."

On the other hand, Kagome was beginning to steam in impatience. "Nee-chan, get down here! You and Shippou can play later!"

Naruto stuck her tongue out at her sister and refused. "No way! I'm the elder sibling, 'Gome, so I don't have to listen to _you_! 'Sides, you don't need me or Shippou to talk to the villagers!" Then, the blonde looked down at the fox kit and said, "Shippou, I'm going to make this more enjoyable, okay?"

The fox kit nodded and braced himself by grabbing onto the blonde's clothes. Naruto used her blood to write another seal and fed it some more chakra. Unexpectedly, the people below watched as the centipede began to go in loops and turns, like a speedy rollercoaster. Shippou yelled in fright while the daring woman let out a delightful cheer.

Miroku gazed at the dizzying scene and paled. "Never mind, Inuyasha. I don't want Naruto-sama to give us a ride."

A similarly pale Inuyasha nodded in agreement.

* * *

Later, the group came upon a massacred demon slayers' village. Naruto gazed upon the destruction in sorrow. It was like Pein's Invasion all over again.

Closing her eyes in grief, the blonde made some clones. They, too, held frowns on their faces, but began to dig graves for the fallen.

Kagome helped by gathering flowers for the dead, while Inuyasha and Miroku assisted Naruto.

* * *

Myouga began to tell the group about the origins of the Shikon no Tama, so they visited Midoriko's cave. But when the group came out, they were suddenly attacked by a female warrior. Myouga had identified the taijiya as 'Sango', and begged his hanyou charge to no fight with her.

Naruto rolled her eyes because it was the girl who was attacking them. Wondering how much of a challenge this Sango was, the shinobi grabbed a kunai and began to go on offense.

Sango was surprised to see a fellow female warrior, but grit her teeth in pain. The blonde was a much better fighter, the taijiya discovered.

And Naruto, noticing the wounds on her opponent's body, stopped her assault and said, "You know… you can't fight with all those wounds."

Sango growled and shouted, "I don't care! Inuyasha must die for destroying my village!"

"What!" the Shikon group yelled in unison.

"Kukuku… You look like you're having problems, Inuyasha," an eerily, evil voice remarked amusedly. Everyone turned to see Naraku in his signature baboon pelt. Naruto growled and accidently let Kurama's influence take over. She hated it when Naraku messed with her life.

Swiftly, she vanished; reappearing behind Naraku, surprising Sango. The blonde swung down with her kunai, but the pest she targeted jumped away. "Tsk, tsk. Dear Naruto, didn't your parents teach you better manners?" the deceptive bastard taunted casually.

Naruto scoffed and replied, "Don't know. My parents have been dead for a long time." Then, the woman made a horde of clones, the majority attacking Naraku, while two stayed to make a **Rasenshuriken**.

Sango took that chance to go after Inuyasha, who was a little frantic. He hated it when Naruto tried to use something with that much power; it was never a good idea to be near her when she let it loose.

Meanwhile, Naraku was disgustingly fascinated by the shinobi's abilities. Just what more could the woman do that could contribute to his plans? He watched as the blonde's screeching orb was thrown his way. Quickly, he leapt away as fast as he could, his saimyoushou (Poison insects) making the thickest shield as possible. He also let miasma fill the area, and observed the powerful orb tear his past location to pieces. Feeling unsafe, even with this distance, Naraku took to the air, and ripped his hand from his body; making it grab Kagome's shards from the unsuspecting girl's grasp.

Once the hand returned with the Shikon fragments, the manipulative being departed in a cloud of poison insects. Naruto went after him with Miroku and Kirara, while Sango stared at where the blonde's attack had hit. There was a gigantic crater where that big clearing used to be. That woman was more powerful than Sango thought was possible for a human.

But, the taijiya couldn't do anything about it, since she collapsed from exhaustion and blood loss.

* * *

Thankfully, the Shikon group was able to retrieve their stolen shards. Naruto had a blast sending explosive tags after explosive tags at Naraku. But disappointingly, the slippery spider got away at the last second. Shippou hid behind Kagome, fearing the demonic aura the blonde released during her 'hunt'. Inuyasha clutched his ears in agony, wishing the booming noises to end, once and for all.

Kagome was exasperated because of her sister's chaotic tendencies. Really, whose bright idea was it to give explosives to the sadistic blonde?

* * *

When Sango next awoke, she was inside a deserted hut. Slowly walking out of the home, she noticed that she was inside her village, and discovered freshly-made graves by the walls. There was one for every person that lived in this village. The remaining exterminator looked depressed as she sat in front of the graves, and didn't care when a pair of feet walked towards her direction.

The incoming pair of feet stopped in front on a grave. "You know... I know what it's like, to have people you love die. Sometimes, you'll feel helpless and beat yourself for not saving them. 'If only I had been stronger'. That's what I used to think," Naruto's gentle voice told the grieving girl. Sango didn't respond, so the blonde went on nostalgically, "But then, one of my teachers told me that even if the guilt never goes away, I shouldn't live like a brooding idiot. I can't change what's been done, but I can strive to become stronger to protect my loved ones… Everyone dies. I know that. But I can try my damn best to make sure everyone lives another day. Besides, I'm sure Ero-sennin, Tou-san, Kaa-san, Haku, Sarutobi-jiji, Nagato, Itachi, and everyone else I know wouldn't want me to be depressed forever." Then, a regretful tone mixed in with the older female's speech, "... There was a time when I thought about revenge, too."

At the word 'revenge', Sango perked up in interest. Naruto noticed that, but continued in the same regretful tone, "I wanted revenge, once. My godfather- Ero-sennin- was killed by his former student when I was sixteen. When I found out, I took my anger out on Tsunade-baachan, who was like a mom to me. Baachan loved Ero-sennin, and promised to stop rejecting him when he would come back from his last mission, but...that didn't happen." At the last part, Naruto displayed a sad smile on her face.

Taking a deep breath, the shinobi carried on, "I didn't know about Baachan's feelings at the time, and yelled right in her face, screaming that that it was all her fault... Like a coward, I ran away from the public, and no one could get me to leave my room. I was so depressed and cried like a baby... Then, when Nagato- the one who killed my godfather- led an invasion into my village, I thought about getting revenge for Ero-sennin... but in the end, I didn't."

Finally, Sango spoke in a low tone, "Why didn't you? You could have avenged your loved one."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment and answered, "Hmm... I did think about that too. But ya' know... if I carried out my revenge, it would make me the same as all those other bastards out in the world. There's an endless cycle of hatred, where I come from, Sango. It might be the same in this place, but I wouldn't really know... Where I come from, there are assassions called 'shinobi'. They aren't like those stupid ones here; but more stealthy, powerful, and dangerous than me."

Sango looked up at the blonde and was wide-eyed. More powerful than Naruto? Surely, there weren't more people as strong as this woman?

Chuckling at the girl's expression, the shinobi elaborated, "Really, there are ninjas that are stronger than me. Hell, my cyclops of a sensei could probably still beat my ass! But the point is, with the shinobi forces, there are many job offers that come into play. It doesn't matter if you know your target or not; you have to carry out the assassinations or exterminations efficiently, stealthily, and swiftly. There are also different shinobi villages around, and there have been three shinobi wars since their existence. Well, if you count the one I was in, that would make it four wars... And every single time, there will be someone who wants to get revenge for a fallen comrade, lover, parent, or friend. But when they do, their victim's family or friends will want the same thing... In the end, the cycle repeats itself in an endless circle. Blood spilt within that circle, and it never stopped flowing... It ain't pretty." The blonde grimaced at the last phrase.

Sango scowled and said bitterly, "So?"

Sighing, Naruto replied wearily, gazing up at the ever-changing sky, "I didn't like that rule. The 'endless circle of hatred'. It became my dream to end it, and I couldn't do that if I wanted revenge. I wouldn't be any different from those in the past... I talked with Nagato, face-to-face, once. He had a complicated ability that was difficult to fight with, and it took a toll on his body. He looked like a shriveled up prune when I first met him... Nagato wanted peace like I did, but he thought that it could only be attained with pain and suffering. Of course, I didn't believe in that bullshit. I told him that what he was doing wouldn't bring world peace, and I promised to carry on Ero-sennin's legacy for peace in my own way. I wanted to obtain peace without having to resort to revenge or needless bloodshed. So, I promised Nagato as his life withered away, 'if there is such thing as peace, I will definitely find it'. That's what I told him. I was, and still am confident that I could finish my godfather's work. And I couldn't do that if I started to go on a revenge-hunt. Hell, Ero-sennin would probably come back from the dead to just kick my ass for it!"

Naruto chuckled nostalgically for a moment, and continued in content, "Nagato... he, for some reason, finally listened to me and used his remaining strength to give back the lives he took in the invasion. Before he died, he told me to never waver from my dream, to never go back on my oath. If I didn't, I would just end up like he did, and cause the cycle to start again... Really, he shouldn't have worried about that; I never go back on my word."

Sango abruptly stood up and angrily shouted at the woman, "So what! Your godfather died by Nagato's hands! Why didn't you kill him when you got the chance!"

*SLAP*

The girl's eyes widened in shock when a firm hand smacked her across the face. Naruto glared at Sango and retorted, "If I did, then what? It's not going to bring Ero-sennin back. It would only satisfy my guilt. It wouldn't make me happy. I'm not going to waste my life for something as stupid as that." Sighing tiredly, the blonde ran a hand through her long hair, "... I had a teammate, Sasuke. He was kid from a strong and proud family; but his own brother, Itachi, killed them all. That night was known as the Uchiha Massacre. No one but Sasuke was left alive."

Sango jerked at the eerily familiar story. It was like her and Kohaku. Seeing this, Naruto continued with a hint of sorrow, "No one really knew why Itachi did it, until a few years ago. But, it was too late; Sasuke got messed in the head, and was kind of mentally unstable. He vowed to kill his brother, to carry out vengeance for his family, but you know? It didn't make him happy. Sasuke used to be such a happy kid; but after the massacre, he did a huge turn and started falling to the dark side. By the time he was twelve, just hearing someone say something about his family or Itachi made him angry. It was a miracle that he didn't get killed from that weakness. Where I come from, enemies don't care about what's fair. Survival of the fittest, that's all it ever was. They would've exploited Sasuke's flaw and killed him when he gave them the opportunity... And by the time he was sixteen, he betrayed our village for power. I realized then, that if someone told him that he could be stronger by killing Sakura or me, he would've done it. For his stupid 'dream', he would've sacrificed his own teammates for petty strength." Remembering the battle at the Valley of the End, the shinobi's eyes dulled painfully. 'Oh Sasuke, you were always a baka,' she thought mournfully.

Meanwhile, Sango paled at the implications. Hadn't she abandoned reason for revenge? Hadn't she accepted Naraku's 'help' to go after the wrong person? That despicable being manipulated her like a puppet because she had let him. If her father had been alive, he would've beat sense into her until she was black and blue.

Seeing the gears turning in the girl's head, Naruto sighed. 'Finally,' the blonde thought in exasperation.

* * *

**Omg! This is like, the longest ch. I've ever written! 6000 words!**


	10. Special: Miroku's Icha Icha

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

"Hey Miroku, what are you doing?" a curious Shippou asked the monk. For some reason, the wayward man was scribbling madly on pieces of paper Kagome had brought from home, giggling strangely as he wrote.

Startled by the young fox demon, the monk turned to the kit and said, "H-Hey, Shippou. I'm just writing things for my religious education. You won't find them interesting because it's about Buddha."

The fox kit 'hmmed' and scampered away, feeling a little hungry. Once he left, Miroku let out a content sigh. He was safe.

* * *

"Do you think Miroku's been acting weird lately?" Kagome asked her sister as they wandered through a bookstore.

"Hm? Yeah. I don't know what he's doing, but it's making me shiver in dread," Naruto replied with a frown.

Suddenly, her phone rang and the blonde answered the call, "Hello?"

Present-Sesshoumaru spoke in a pissed-off tone, "Come to my office. There's something you have to see." And he hung up.

Naruto stared at her phone in confusion. What got his panties in a bunch?

* * *

"Yo! Why'd you call me here?" the blonde asked Present-Sesshoumaru.

Rubbing a hand against his forehead, the daiyoukai just pointed a book on his desk. Naruto took the paperback and opened it to a random page. Out loud, the woman read, "...and Naru moaned in bliss. Her lover... WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!" At her exclamation, she threw the apparent-porn to the floor. Glaring at her companion, she pointed at the offending novel and demanded, "Why is there an Icha Icha-alike here!"

Closing his eyes in weariness, Sesshoumaru replied resignedly, "Look at the author's name."

Unwillingly, the woman gingerly picked up the porno and read the small writings on the front cover. "Houshi Miroku."

"Yes. It appears that the lecherous monk had written questionable books in the past, using YOUR name," the daiyoukai remarked in disbelief. God damn! If the stupid monk was still alive, Sesshoumaru wanted to be the one to kill him. How dare the pervert put intimate images of Naruto into every other males' head!

Said woman was currently in shock, and silently berating herself. She should have never mentioned Jiraiya and Icha Icha to Miroku! It made him write his own version!

But there was one thing that puzzled the shinobi. "Hey, wait. If Miroku wrote this five hundred years ago, why did _you_ only find out about it, _now_?"

Sighing wearily, her companion answered, "This book wasn't in my interests for years. Even when there was a craze with 'Icha Icha' hundreds of years ago, I didn't care for it. It wasn't until the publishing company republished it _now_, did I find out about the monk's actions."

Naruto paled. "Hey, does that mean EVERYONE who's read Miroku's porn, in the present, know I'm in it?"

Gazing up at her, Sesshoumaru appeared to be slightly apologetic. Shit. Every single male that knew Naruto would connect her and the porn's character with no problem.

Frantic, the blonde pleaded hopefully, "Sesshoumaru, can't you do something with your influence?"

The daiyoukai stood up from his chair and walked around his desk, going to grab his coat. "Come. We will see what I can do, but it appears that the monk's work is far too popular to stop."

Naruto 'tsked' and grumbled as she followed the demon, "Ero-houshi, I'm SO gunna kill you when I go back... Fuck. Can't I just destroy the manuscripts?"

* * *

Miroku was currently beginning to write his second novel, but felt the weight of several glares on his back.

"Had a fun time, Ero-houshi?" the blonde witch snarled from behind him.

Turning to face her, the monk paled. "Ah… haha, N-Naruto-sama. Do you need something?"

Behind Naruto, a group of village women, Sango, and Kagome stood with equally malicious glares. She answered with a hiss, "Yeah, maybe your head."

* * *

"WWWAAAHHH!" the perverted monk's wail ascended to the heavens.

* * *

Shippou looked up from his doodling and asked Inuyasha, "Hey, what's wrong with Miroku?"

The hanyou scoffed and said, "Nothing's wrong. He's just being his usually, lecherous-self."

"Oh," the fox kit replied. Then, he went back to drawing pictures.

Sometimes, Shippou didn't get why the monk wouldn't stop already. Getting beat up by Naruto _everyday_ ain't pretty.


	11. Toutousai and Rin

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

After Sango recovered, the bigger Shikon group went back to Midoriko's cave. The slayer had given them all an important historical lesson about the origins of the Shikon no Tama, and Naruto could not help but respect the fallen priestess. The shinobi felt a small kinship with the woman, since they both had to face great evil in the world.

Then, Naruto laughed out loud when Inuyasha declared that he would severe the fate the jewel orchestrated. She could see her younger self in the hanyou, at the moment. There seemed to be so many people with the same dreams, and it would be a damn shame if she didn't help those people.

* * *

"AAAhhhh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" a wailing Miroku whimpered over and over. Back on the road, he just HAD to grope Sango, and Naruto gave his pride and joy the most painful kick of his life.

The other males of the group flinched in empathy. That was a very, very EVIL thing to do to a man.

Kagome was stuck between pitying the poor monk and being enraged by his actions.

* * *

Later, the group had come across a strange child; he wanted them to defeat a 'god' name Suijin in order to save his friend. Naruto and Kagome were all for it, though, Inuyasha didn't want to. But he was outvoted by everyone else, so the hanyou had no choice but to go.

Once they got to the 'god's' home, Inuyasha headed in first, and everyone else followed, leaving a grumbling Naruto to tie their boat to the dock. When the shinobi caught up to her companions, she froze in her steps when a gigantic serpent-like demon burst out from the water. The blonde shivered in disgust because the thing reminded her of Orochimaru.

But then, the demon dragged Inuyasha below the surface, so Naruto leaped onto the enemy and applied a paralysis tag onto it.

The Fake-Suijin hissed angrily when his body was suddenly frozen. He glared at his new assailant, but noticed something that shook his demonic instincts. It wasn't visible to the naked eye, but Naruto's presence just screamed 'alpha'. The snake-like demon was baffled by this mystery, since the woman smelt like a human, not a demon. Furthermore, there was a lingering aura of a fox on her that just wanted to devour its prey whole.

Meanwhile, Miroku had run up to the shore on the other side of the great lagoon and shouted, "Naruto-sama, Inuyasha, please get that halberd! The real god needs it to quell the storm!"

Hearing that exclamation, the fake god tried to wriggle his body away, but Naruto wouldn't let him. Leaping up to his face, the shinobi let Kurama's influence leak out for a moment and growled, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Her eyes flashed beastly-red for a moment, and demonic energy hovered over her. The prey went stiff in fear, and had to watch as Inuyasha snatched the weapon was from his hand.

Naruto followed after the dog-boy and asked the monk, "What do you want to do with the snake?"

Removing the beads from his cursed hand, Miroku stepped forward and replied, "Kazaana!" His powerful vortex sucked the frozen demon into the hole in his hand, and vanished from this dimension.

The real Suijin, who turned back into a tall woman, spoke to the shinobi, "You... just who are you? There are no other humans with the powers you possess."

Grinning harmlessly, Naruto answered vaguely, "I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto."

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Suijin wondered, "Maelstrom? What a strange name for a female."

Chuckling at that response, the blonde elaborated nostalgically, "You're the first one to say my name means maelstrom. Everyone else thinks it means fishcake... But I don't care either way. My parents gave me that name; having complete faith in me to continue their legacy." Naruto's grin intensified to shine like a beacon.

"You must have wonderful parents," the water god remarked as she observed the enigmatic human before her. What a strange soul this individual possessed. It was tantalizing- not in the edible way- but an admiring way. The fair-haired human's soul didn't belong in this world; that was certain.

Unknowing of the goddess's thoughts, the blonde laughed good-naturedly and replied proudly, "Right? They're the best parents in the whole, wide world!"

Suijin 'hmmed' and continued to observe the strange human that began to walk away. The goddess was curious to know what kind of mortal could create such an exceptional offspring.

* * *

A few days later, Miroku had mysteriously left the group on a journey, and Inuyasha felt like someone was watching the rest of the group. When he sliced a tree away, there was a baboon-Naraku fleeing the scene. Everyone chased after him, except Naruto. This really stank like a trap.

The shinobi used her sage mode to find her group's wayward monk. Naraku wanted to separate Miroku for some reason, and Naruto trusted her gut-feelings.

* * *

When the toad sage did find the monk, Inuyasha and the rest of the group were flying towards him on Hachi's back. Hordes of demons began to block their way to Miroku, and Naruto was beginning to get frustrated. Even if she killed more demons, another batch would pop out of nowhere and attack her.

Then suddenly, large beads had wrapped themselves around Inuyasha, and the shinobi had to continue fighting off the enemies by herself. Mushin- Miroku's caretaker- had been possessed by a demon, and was compelled to restrain Inuyasha.

The battle with the demons appeared endless, but Miroku interfered by using his Kazaana. With a burst of strength, the hanyou got free from his binds in order to stop the suicidal monk. However, more demons began to go after the two, and Inuyasha had the unexpected ability to use Tetsusaiga's **Kaze no Kizu (Wind Scar)**. The enemies were obliterated in one swing, and a priest-like demon began to flee from the site.

Sango killed that creature with her boomerang, and Kagome placed the odd bottle next to the unconscious Mushin. The possession was removed, but the man remained unconscious until Naruto kicked him in the face. Seriously, what kind of monk drinks alcohol and gets drunk?

* * *

The group waited as Miroku's hand was treated, but Naruto went in with Mushin to observe the treatment. If the hand ever got injured again, the shinobi wanted to be able to treat it properly. The group couldn't go back to Mushin every time Miroku's hand gained a new wound.

When the perverted monk woke from his slumber, Kagome, Shippou, and Sango crowded around him in relief. But then...he pretended to be notice something shocking, and groped Sango's ass.

He was immediately sent back to Lala-land by two lovely fists.

* * *

After a few days, the Shikon group began to travel again, but came across a massacred village. A boy in slayer-clothing appeared with a bloody chain-blade, and Sango chased after him as he fled. Naruto groaned because it stank like Naraku-bait... AGAIN.

However, no one could go after the taijiya because a ward was blocking them.

Once Sango did come back, something changed about her demeanor. It was more... hesitant than troubled. At night, everyone was actually awake, and caught Sango trying to steal the Tetsusaiga.

Then, Naruto felt a group of ominous presences. She 'tsked' and took out a paralysis bomb from her pouch. The shinobi took to the roof of a warehouse, and threw the object at the horde of demons waiting outside. Kohaku- Sango's brother- was with the evil beings, knocked the bomb away from the horde, and the blonde gritted her teeth when it exploded in a different direction.

Inuyasha came out to fight, but Sango betrayed the group by stealing the Tetsusaiga. But strangely, Naruto could not see any ill-intention from the slayer. Sango's face showed a determined and desperate expression that tingled the shinobi's senses.

The blonde made a few clones to fight the horde while she accessed her bijuu mode. Feeling the powerful demonic force, the lesser demons froze in their assault and turned to face Naruto. The searing presence of her new power made them back away in fright. However, the woman did not let them retreat, and used her chakra arms to shred them to pieces.

Swiftly, the shinobi began to run after Sango, with Inuyasha and the others trailing behind.

* * *

Naruto discovered her fellow female warrior, critically wounded, as she stood next to Kohaku and Naraku.

The evil mastermind chuckled and greeted the blonde _graciously_, "Have you changed your mind at all, dear Naruto?"

Growling in distaste, the woman snapped, "Go fuck yourself, you disgusting piece of shit!"

Not at all affected by her insults, Naraku responded amusedly, "Tsk, tsk. Such language from a woman… But no matter; I have gotten what I wanted from here." Numerous tentacles of hair surrounded the Shikon group, and Naruto snarled as she shredded the blockade.

However, miasma broke out as the hair was destroyed; and the shinobi couldn't continue to eliminate them, unless she wanted everyone else to be poisoned.

Then suddenly, a purifying arrow shot across the air and pierced through a stunned Naraku. The others looked around in awe as the miasma was cleansed from the area. Grinning viciously at the new opening, Naruto swiftly appeared before the enemy and delivered a satisfying punch to his face. The shinobi jumped away after that, and watched as Kagome fired another arrow towards the wounded enemy. The only thing left what Naraku's head, and Inuyasha shielded the girl when miasma was released once more.

When it cleared, Kohaku and Naraku were gone, along with the castle that had stood only minutes before.

* * *

Naruto released herself from the bijuu mode and ran towards the wounded Sango. Green chakra covered the shinobi's hands, and began to heal the injuries on the younger girl. Miroku came over to watch, hoping to let Kagome and Inuyasha have their little romantic moment, and gazed at the glowing energy in awe. Chakra was truly fascinating to see at work.

However, Sango tried to move away from the group she betrayed, shouting that she didn't deserve their protection or kindness. Then, Inuyasha yelled back that it was stupid, and that she should just continue to travel with them. Abruptly, the slayer began to cry, and the hanyou didn't know what he did wrong. Naruto snickered at his expression and started to heal Sango's injuries once more.

* * *

The next day, Naruto was in a very foul mood.

In order to find an antidote for Kirara, Kagome, Inuyasha, and the blonde had gone to a nearby village for help. But the trio were misled into thinking that a demon and a witch were terrorizing the villagers, so of course, they went to help out. Then, the trio discovered that the people were mistreating an elderly woman with a HANYOU son- Jinenji.

Man, Kagome had never seen her sister rampage so ferociously before. Though, the girl could understand why the blonde did. Jinenji and his mother were victims of the demon-human hatred that manipulated the world; and Inuyasha, Naruto, and Kagome didn't like it at all. Jinenji was such a kind being, and would cry if someone hit him, so how could the villagers think that he ate people?

When the shinobi found out about the villagers' deceit, she immediately went to beat the aggressive ones black and blue. The men of that place were so shocked to see a woman fighting so violently, and didn't know what to do in retaliation. Naruto didn't care for their thoughts and cursed them all; loud and proud. Some of the words she used made all of them blush, and some of the women covered their children's ears.

After that, the blonde had stomped back towards Jinenji and his mother, declaring that she was going to stay with them for awhile.

Kagome couldn't help but groan in embarrassment. Who the hell raised her sister to be so... wild?

* * *

In the end, the real culprit that ate people was a nest of insect-like demons, and Jinenji proved to the villagers that he was only a kind halfling.

Naruto and Kagome were happy for the hanyou, while Inuyasha was dumbfounded by his fellow halfling's gentleness. If it were him, the dog-boy would've been cocky and made the villagers bow down to his greatness.

* * *

The Shikon group was able to travel again, but Naruto wanted a vacation and went off to train on her own.

When she came back, there was a weird three-eyed ox and an old geezer was fighting with Inuyasha. "What's going on?" she asked Kagome.

Myouga had appeared and replied, "He is Toutousai. He is the blacksmith that made Tetsusaiga."

Then, the group felt the incoming presence of Sesshoumaru. Looking up into the air, Naruto grumbled, "I really need to figure out how he's flying like that."

Her sister sweatdropped and replied tentatively, "I think you have to be a youkai to do that."

"Ah, fish sticks!" the blonde pouted, kicking the dirt sulkily.

Meanwhile, Toutousai was totally egging the brothers to fight; preferring to stay alive than face Sesshoumaru's wrath. "Geez, what short-tempered brothers they are," the old blacksmith sighed.

Naruto snorted and rolled her eyes, "It's your fault they're fighting."

Pretending to be forgetful, Toutousai wondered _innocently_, "What are you talking about? What did I do?"

* * *

The 'fight' was so pathetic that the blonde woman decided to channel her inner Nara; lying down on the ground and watching the endless clouds pass by. Then, her eyes widened when the blacksmith's cheeks bulged like a stuffed squirrel; expelling a jet of flames towards Sesshoumaru.

Whoa. Where did that old geezer hide such power?

However, the scene became pitiable again when Toutousai ran away with Inuyasha in tow. Naruto just waved good-bye to her sister; wishing to go out and train again.

When the woman glanced at Sesshoumaru's direction, she saw him slicing Jaken with his Tenseiga. What the Fuck?

The imp fell down, seemingly unconscious.

The daiyoukai glared at his retainer and spoke coldly, "Wake up you fool."

'Miraculously', the servant came back to life, and Naruto whistled, impressed by the Tenseiga's ability.

"I was sure I was cut," Jaken mumbled in confusion.

His lord scoffed and explained as he began to walk away, "Tenseiga is a sword that can't kill. It's a sword that restores life. It is a useless tool." The dog-demon sneered at the last part.

The observing shinobi commented thoughtfully, "It's not useless. It's a great sword of healing."

Glancing at the blonde, Sesshoumaru 'hnned' and replied, "It is not a weapon fitting for one such as I."

Naruto rolled her eyes and pointed out, "Your dad was the one who gave it to you, right? He must've thought _you _needed a lesson." Then the woman began to chortle in amusement, "Oh, God! I can't imagine _you_, of all people- err, youkai- showing compassion for another being!" She imagined what Sesshoumaru would be like as a doctor, but the woman just couldn't see him being considerate. The patients would've run away in fear before ever going to him for help.

Slightly irked by her laughter, the dog-demon sent a poison whip her way. Naruto fell down on her back in order to dodge it. Cockily smirking up at her assailant, the shinobi asked, "Are you that eager to lose, again?"

Scrunching his nose at that humiliating memory, Sesshoumaru 'hnned' and walked away once more. As he left, the daiyoukai responded coolly, "I have business to attend to. At another time, perhaps, we will spar."

"See ya' later, Sesshoumaru," the woman bade with a wave of her hand. She yawned tiredly, since cloud watching took the energy out of her.

* * *

About a day after, Naruto's **Hiraishin** seal went off, and she was propelled back to her sister's side. The blonde landed in a heap of dirt and groaned in pain. "Fuck... What was that for, 'Gome?"

The girl looked sheepish before helping her sister roll over. "Sesshoumaru came back with a dragon arm. Inuyasha doesn't seem like he's going to last much longer. I thought you'd want to come back in situations like these."

Flopping onto her back, the shinobi glanced at the fighting brothers. Inuyasha was obviously wounded heavily, and was also blinded from Sesshoumaru's poison. For a moment, Naruto considered the idea of helping the hanyou out, but when she felt the wind changing, that thought flew out the window.

Abruptly, the shinobi jackknifed up straight; and swiftly grabbed her sister and Shippo, jumping back to follow a fleeing Toutousai.

It turned out to be a good thing.

Once again, Inuyasha was able to use the **Kaze no Kizu (Wind Scar)**, and the earth gained a whole new level of fissures. When the dust cleared, Sesshoumaru had mysteriously vanished, and others thought he had been obliterated by the attack's power.

* * *

Naruto gave Inuyasha a healing tag she created about a year ago, and everyone was surprised to see the wounds fading quickly. The blonde was also surprised, since she never got the chance to test it out on critical patients before. Of course, she didn't let the hanyou know that; he would've thrown a hissy fit if he found out he was her guinea pig.

Seeing as her job was finished, Naruto left the group to go train, once again. But in actuality, the woman went out to search for Sesshoumaru, since she had nothing against the dog-demon. Toutousai did say Tenseiga protected its master from his impending doom. The daiyoukai wouldn't be able to move from his wounds, and Naruto- being the kind human she was- wanted to test out another healing seal on him.

Except, the moment the shinobi found the injured demon, a brave human girl dumped water onto his face. She laughed out long and hard, startling the child enough to make her drop her canteen on Sesshoumaru's forehead. The girl began to back away in fright, so Naruto tried to calm down.

"W-Wait. I'm not going to hurt you," the blonde managed through her guffaws. Oh God, her stomach hurt so bad right now.

The child paused in her retreat, but warily observed the hysterical woman. Almost regaining her composure, Naruto spoke merrily, "I was looking for that guy over there," pointing at the injured demon. The woman carefully approached Sesshoumaru, never keeping the strange girl out her sight.

Once she got to the daiyoukai, the blonde couldn't help but snicker. "Not as strong as you thought you were ne, Sesshoumaru?"

The demon wearily opened his eyes to glare at the amused woman. However, she dismissed his actions in favor of examining his wounds. Clicking her tongue disapprovingly, she spoke, "Geez, this is going to take forever to heal. I don't think a healing tag is going to help you much."

Sesshoumaru continued to glower at Naruto until she flicked his forehead. "Oh, stop glaring at me. It's not going to help you get better." The stubborn demon managed to 'hnn' and turned his head away from her.

The blonde rolled her eyes and got to work. Removing his armor and upper clothing, the shinobi opened a bottle of disinfectant and gave him a pitying look, "This probably doesn't smell good, and it might hurt even more when I apply it to your wounds. Just bear with me, 'kay?" Sesshoumaru said nothing, but she could see his nose scrunching at the foul concoction. He slightly hissed when the medical liquid touched his injuries, but stayed still.

The girl nearby watched the proceedings in fascination, and timidly got closer to Naruto. The blonde grinned at the curious child and put the disinfectant bottle away; gathering medical chakra onto her hands. The child displayed an expression of awe at the warm energy, and stared at the wounds it began to heal.

* * *

"Ugh... I'm so tired," Naruto groaned; lying down on the dirt from fatigue. The sky had turned a nice shade of pink, and crickets began to chirp. The girl from before knelt next to the woman's head, and wiped the sweat away from her forehead with a dirty kimono-sleeve. The shinobi chuckled and lifted a hand to ruffle the kind child's hair. "Thank you."

Slowly sitting up straight, Naruto asked the kid, "It's getting late. Don't you have to go back to your family?"

The girl's face displayed a gloomy frown, and she shook her head sadly. The shinobi's eyes softened at that answer. An orphan, huh? That same expression; that same sorrow. It was all the same.

Smiling brightly to diffuse the depressing atmosphere, Naruto patted the girl's head and chirped, "Well! I guess you just have to stay with me!" The child's eyes lit up joyfully and nodded frenziedly. Tapping a finger on her chin, the shinobi mumbled, "It's getting late, so I think we can just camp out here for the night." The woman stood up and stretched out the kinks in her body; took out a scroll from her pouch, and unfurled it to an intricate design. She bit her thumb and wiped it across the seal, and in a puff of smoke, camping gear appeared out of nowhere.

The girl excitedly clapped her hands together, amazed by the out worldly invention. Naruto chuckled and made a clone- shocking the child- to help set up the tent and sleeping bags.

Walking over to a still-wounded Sesshoumaru, the woman asked him, "Hey, are you asleep?" The demon ignored her. She rolled her eyes at his attitude and spoke, "You still can't move, so can't you be civil for once?" He continued to ignore the woman, so she grabbed a pointy ear and exclaimed noisily into it, "Sesshoumaru!"

Instantly, the daiyoukai's eyes popped open, and he scowled at the woman. "Wench, stop being a nuisance."

Naruto snorted and shook her head pityingly, "And this is the thanks I get for healing the big bad demon? I should've just left you to rot in the dirt."

The demon 'hnned' and turned his head away. A rustle was heard, and he felt something warm and soft cover him up. Sesshoumaru looked down to see a fluffy blanket make a cocoon around him. He scoffed, "I do not need such a thing. I can endure much more than you humans can."

The shinobi flicked his forehead and replied, "I know that. But being the kind being I am, my conscience won't let me leave you unattended; especially when you're injured." The daiyoukai rolled his eyes.

Kind being? She was more of an unruly hellion that just won't stay down.

* * *

The next day, Sesshoumaru was strong enough to sit up by himself, but couldn't move much. Naruto clicked her tongue in annoyance, and gave him quite a scolding for moving without the 'medic's' consent. He just glowered in irritation, and the blonde retaliated by bringing out the disinfectant bottle. The demon growled at the foul odor, eyes bleeding red. The woman cackled triumphantly, while the child from the day before just stared at the odd pair.

The girl turned out to be mute, from trauma, and Naruto simply cooed at the adorable child. If only Souta and Konohamaru were that obedient; life would've been so much more peaceful.

Later, the shinobi had escorted the mute child back to her village, and watched as the girl began to walk into the local fishpond. Naruto turned to her right when a mob of angry village men stomped towards the child. "Rin! So you were the culprit! Just because we pitied you doesn't mean you can steal fish from the pond!" one man bellowed, dragging the newly-dentified Rin out of the water.

The shinobi growled at the rough manner he dropped the girl to the dirt. Swiftly, Naruto grabbed the hand that was intending to hit Rin. The man was startled by the newcomer and more frightened when his wrist began to crack under pressure. He stared at the woman in fear, and heard her snarl menacingly, "You... I absolutely LOATH trash like you! How dare you attempt to harm that girl!"

Cowering from behind her prey, another man stuttered, "W-Who a-are you to meddle into our village's affairs, woman?"

The shinobi snorted and the men thought her eyes flashed red for a moment, "Me? I'm someone that can't stay still when people like you pick on innocent kids! You pieces of scum deserve to go to hell!" Her tone escalated into a growl, and the villagers felt like they were being oppressed by a powerful force. The woman gave her captive a swift punch in the face, and was satisfied when she felt a crack against her fist.

The man howled in pain, and scuttled away from the volatile blonde. Naruto picked up a stunned Rin and deliberately walked across the pond, making sure the villagers could see her actions. They all gaped at the woman striding on top of the water. Was she a goddess? Perhaps a servant of Heaven? Had they angered the gods?

Seeing their turmoil, the blonde sneered at them and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

She and Rin reappeared in the middle of their campsite. Setting the girl down, Naruto ranted, "I just want to beat the shit out of those idiots, 'ttebayo! Didn't their parents teach them any manners? I should've given 'em the prank of the century!" Turning to a still-stunned Rin, the woman declared, "Rin, you're not going back there! I'm taking you with me!" But then, the shinobi deflated and scowled towards a bewildered Sesshoumaru's direction, "Unless, you want to go with _him_?"

The girl smiled happily and trotted up to point at the daiyoukai. Naruto wilted into a depressed mess and mumbled sulkily, "Why him? He's a stupid and broody bastard. What does he have that I don't? Maybe it's the balls? I've got big boobs; doesn't that count? Plus, he's got such a big stick stuck up his ass. I'm nicer than him, so why did she pick him?"

Sesshoumaru made a subtle choked noise at the crass language the blonde used. A woman shouldn't be using such offensive words, especially in the presence of an impressionable child. He glanced at the child in question, and raised a brow when she didn't appear to have understood anything. What a miracle.

'Rin' walked up to the moody blonde and patted the woman's head in sympathy.

Surprisingly, the child spoke, her voice croaky from disuse, "It's okay, Naruto-nee. Rin doesn't hate you."

Naruto perked up at the young voice, and squeezed the girl with her arms, "Rin, you can talk! Are you better now?"

Timidly, the girl nodded in confirmation, and blushed when the woman smiled happily in response.

In celebration, Naruto had decided to bring out the sweets she had brought from the future. Sesshoumaru tilted his head at the sight of the foreign delicacies. The scent of sugar wafted, strongly, through the air; with a hint of other ingredients.

Rin absolutely loved the strange treats, and ate in content, while the blonde had fallen into a fit of laughter nearby. The woman had the brightest idea to feed her demonic patient a cream puff, and stuffed it into the surprised demon's mouth. She had made sure to make him swallow it, and guffawed when his eyes lit up at the delicious sweet. Never knew demons could get sweet teeth, especially the great Ice-Prick.

In response, Sesshoumaru had slightly huffed in embarrassment, but it just made Naruto laugh a little more. Then she got all girly and nuzzled her cheek against his, like she used to do with Buyo. That feline used to be so cute when he was younger, but now, he became all fat and lazy. The daiyoukai squirmed in annoyance, glaring at the blonde with all his might. But the woman just childishly grinned at him and kissed his cheek. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in shock.

Naruto didn't seem to notice his surprise, and began to heal the demon's wounds again; humming jauntily as she worked. Her patient stared at the enigmatic woman for a minute, and then dismissed the odd moment from his mind. Maybe it was just a bizarre custom from her world.

* * *

Finally, Sesshoumaru was able to travel again, and was a bit irate when Naruto shoved Rin into his care. The shinobi threatened to disembowel the demon if he mistreated the child, and had given the girl a **Hiraishin** kunai for emergencies. Then, blonde bade the two a quick good-bye before she vanished in a blur of yellow.

Naruto returned to her sister's side during a strange situation. The Shikon group was facing a pack of wolves and a canine-like demon, in the village Rin had originated from. "Yo, Kagome! How's it going?" the woman greeted cheerily.

Her sister sweatdropped at the way her sibling dismissed the fight before them. "Really, where've you been, Naruto-nee?"

Pulling a Kakashi, the shinobi eye-smiled and said, "Mah, I got lost on the Road of Life."

Her companions all exclaimed in unison, "Liar!"

The blonde scowled playfully, "Am not!"

* * *

A little later, Naruto was informed that a demonic wolf tribe had attacked the village, and was in possession of two shards. She was also a little annoyed because she saw the calculating glint in the Kouga's- the wolf demon- eyes when Kagome shouted out that she could see his Shikon fragments.

Seriously, what was it with her sister and attracting nonhuman 'admirers'?


	12. Kouga

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

"WHAT! You lost the Shikon shards!" Naruto exclaimed, voice echoing loudly to cause creatures to take flight.

Inuyasha and Shippou cowered behind a large boulder as Kagome faced her dumbfounded sister. Miroku and Sango stood to the side from the siblings, and observed their interaction.

The younger Higurashi let out an awkward laugh, "Ah-haha...you see...Kikyou showed up and took 'em!" The girl blurted out the last phrase rapidly.

Naruto slightly calmed down at that name. Ah, of course, the undead priestess would cause trouble along the way. Things never really went well when a powerful person was brought back from the dead.

* * *

Currently, the Shikon group was swiftly traveling through the mountain range, going after Kouga's shards. Then, Shippou just had to remind Inuyasha that the wolf demon had called him 'dog turd', which made Naruto guffaw hysterically as they ran across the rocky roads. The hanyou popped a vein and punched the fox kit on the head at that memory.

But suddenly, the group spotted several wolves up ahead. The canines fled as Inuyasha came near, and the hanyou impulsively chased after them. The shinobi, monk, and slayer halted in their steps; it was a trap. Sango was about to warn Inuyasha, but Naruto had lifted a hand to stop her.

Curious, Miroku inquired, "Naruto-sama, why did you stop Sango?"

The blonde watched her sister and Inuyasha get mobbed by more wolves from above, and replied, "This was an ambush. The wolf, Kouga, had a calculative glint in his eyes when Kagome shouted out that she could see his shards, and I had a bad feeling about it since then. We could stop this dilemma now, but I want to see how far the wolf will go. Besides, Kagome has a **Hiraishin** seal on her, so it won't be hard to rescue her. If it gets really bad, she or Shippou won't hesitate to activate the seal, so there are no worries on that side."

However, Sango was a little worried and remarked, "But we're dealing with the demonic wolf tribe. We can't easily deal with all of them."

Cocking a brow up, Naruto said, "So? You should know by now that all of us can defeat the whole tribe, ten times over."

The monk sweatdropped at the outrageous claim and responded faintly, "N-Naruto-sama, I know that you can take them all _repeatedly_, but the rest of us can't."

The shinobi appeared thoughtful for a moment and apologized sheepishly, "Sorry, I forgot."

Then, the three humans saw Kouga snatch Kagome- she held onto Shippou- from Inuyasha's back. Naruto made a clone and it went off to follow the fleeing kidnapper.

Everyone else went to help Inuyasha with his assailants. A dose of Kurama's chakra did the trick just fine, in the blonde's opinion.

* * *

Naruto-Clone carefully trailed after a speedy Kouga, making sure to apply an anti-scent seal on itself. The copy followed the demon all the way to a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the mountain range. It was odd that a dry and desolate place could possess such lush and green beauty.

Eh, it could worry about that later. It still had a job to do.

* * *

A little later, original was interrupted from her meditation. Snapping her eyes open, Naruto stood up and told her companions, "I've found the den. Let's go guys."

Inuyasha grumbled sulkily as he got up from his seat on the ground. Why didn't either one of the humans warn him that it was an ambush?

This was SO humiliating.

* * *

"You know...I never thought I'd see the day when there would be a demonic version of Hojo," Naruto's voice commented thoughtfully. She and her companions were on the other side of a ravine, watching Kouga declare Kagome as his woman.

"Who's Hojo?" a rescued Shippou asked curiously. Was there truly a human as stupid as that wolf over there?

The shinobi replied amusedly, "Hojo's a guy from the future. He goes to the same school- learning place- as Kagome does, and he likes her. Now that I think about it, Hojos's like that Nobunaga Fool we met months ago, Inuyasha." The woman turned to the seething hanyou at the last sentence.

Inuyasha quirked a brow and spoke incredulously, "That stupid, human boy you pointed out before? Is he as clumsy as that Nobunaga-idiot?"

Naruto scratched her head and replied uncertainly, "I think he is. I don't really know, but he keeps buying the crappy excuses Jii-chan tells him about 'Gome."

Miroku couldn't help but put in his two cents, "It appears...that Kagome-sama attracts the strangest of suitors."

"Including you?" Sango quipped amusedly.

The monk feigned hurt and replied dramatically, "Dear Sango, I'm hurt that you suggest such a thing. I am holy and chivalrous."

Naruto snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah right, Ero-houshi. I'm beginning to wonder how far priesthood has fallen, to let _you_ of all men, to carry on their ways."

* * *

After declaring Kagome as his woman, Kouga had brought her and his tribe to the nest of the Birds of Paradise. When Shippou asked the shinobi why they weren't going to rescue her sister, the blonde just said, "The hero always arrives at the last moment."

Then a giant, two-headed Bird of Paradise showed up, and the woman whistled, "Damn! That's gotta be the most hideous bird I've ever seen. Just look at all that fat!"

Miroku and Sango sweatdropped, while Inuyasha looked like he wanted to hit Naruto on the head.

* * *

Kagome had shot an arrow at one Bird of Paradise, saving a wolf demon, but more enemies flew towards them. The girl squeezed her eyes shut, and braced herself for the inevitable, when a big boom rocked the clearing.

Kagome opened her eyes and was relieved to see her sister, and the rest of their friends behind the blonde. "Naruto-nee!" The girl ran over and hugged her sibling with all she had and wailed, "Wah! I was so scared, nee-chan! Why didn't you get here faster?"

Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of her head and said, "I wanted to wait for the perfect moment to bust in."

. . .

"What?" Kagome hissed angrily. She released her sister and glared heatedly.

The shinobi sweated bullets and raised her hands with the intention to placate, "M-Mah, calm down 'Gome. We don't have time to fight with each other."

And thankfully, Kouga interrupted Kagome's tirade by yelling down to Inuyasha, "Hey, dog-turd! I'm busy at the moment, so I'll let you guard my woman for now!"

The Shikon group was stunned. They all turned to Kagome curiously and watched as the girl was in equal shock.

Next, Kouga exclaimed, "I'm in love with Kagome! She's able to see the Shikon no Tama, and has guts. And she's a fine woman, too!"

"Wow," said teen breathed with starry eyes.

Naruto immediately flicked her sister on the forehead, and Kagome broke out of her funk with a yelp. "Hey, why'd you do that!"

The blonde looked at her with a bland expression and replied, "You were turning into a fan girl."

The teen gasped in terror and held her head with her hands, "Oh no! What have I done!"

Nearby, Shippou sweatdropped and asked Miroku, "What's with Kagome?"

The befuddled monk responded uncertainly, "...I don't know, really. Women are such fickle creatures- OW!" Sango heard his words, and crashed her Hiraikotsu onto the man's head.

* * *

*Tap. Tap. Tap… TapTapTapTap*

"Stop tapping your foot, Naruto-nee!" Kagome demanded irately. It was grating her nerves. Inuyasha and Kouga were fighting against the boss of the Bird of Paradise. This situation was clearly dangerous, yet the blonde seemed bored.

The tapping stopped, and the younger Higurashi sister sighed in relief.

*TapTapTapTapTapTapTapTap*

"Nee-chan!" the teen cried out exasperatedly.

The tapping stopped again, and Kagome hesitantly relaxed again.

It all seemed quiet for about a minute, and then…

* Tap. Tap. Tap*

The teen turned to her sister, for the third time, and yelled in frustration, "Stop it already! If you're so bored, go do something! Don't tap your foot!"

Naruto sighed and stretched out the kinks in her body. Making a clone, the shinobi made a **Rasengan** and began grinding it against a stray boulder.

Sango whispered to Miroku, "What do you think she's doing?"

The monk whispered back, "It appears...that she's making a sculpture."

*SLAP*

"Hentai!" the slayer yelled, red with anger. Just when she thought Miroku would take things seriously for once, he just HAD to grope her behind.

The perverted monk laughed nervously and said, "I-It was an involuntary reaction, Sango."

The girl huffed and walked over her Kagome's side.

"IT'S FINISHED!" came Naruto's satisfied exclamation.

All the people- demons, too- swiveled their attention over to the excited woman. "What's finished, Naruto-sama?" Miroku inquired.

The blonde moved away from her boulder and presented her project with an enthusiastic wave of her hand, "Behold! My newest creation!"

The odd project she had been working on turned out to be...a crude imitation of the boss of the Bird of Paradise. Was one wing lopsided, or was it just them?

Annoyed by her sister's weird antics, Kagome went over and began destroying the sculpture with a medium-sized rock.

Alarmed, Naruto waved her arms wildly and protested, "Ah! What're you doing! My masterpiece!"

Everyone else besides the two sisters sweatdropped at the scene.

* * *

In the end, Kouga was injured, and Inuyasha had killed the demonic avian with his Tetsusaiga. Then, the hanyou decided to fight Kouga again, but Kagome 'sat' him, and let the wolf demon flee. Kouga vowed to get payback for this humiliation, which Inuyasha gladly returned with a scoff.

Then, the rest of the Shikon group observed Inuyasha and Kagome fight...AGAIN, with deadpanned expressions.

The human one of the bickering couple declared that she was returning to her time, and subdued Inuyasha five times. The mountain they were on now had a permanent Inuyasha-crater embedded into it.

Naruto sighed, and told her companions that they should just leave the two alone. The shinobi went off to train alone again, but not before giving Shippou a **Hiraishin** seal for safekeeping.

Then she disappeared in a flash of yellow.

* * *

"Stop chasing me, you stupid human!" an annoyed Jaken yelled at an excited Rin. The girl didn't seem to hear him and continued to run after the fleeing imp.

Suddenly, the weak demon was squashed under a foot, and the owner of the appendage said, "You look like you need a break, _ne_,_ Jaken_?"

Rin giggled happily and ran up to the newcomer, "Naruto-neesama!" The girl gave the woman a big hug.

"Yo, Rin-chan!" the blonde greeted, patting the girl's head.

Jaken wriggled under the shinobi's foot, muttering obscenities. However, the foot wouldn't budge.

"What did you come here for, wench?" a cold voice inquired from nearby.

The blonde woman turned to face the owner of that voice, and greeted with a grin, "Hey, Sesshoumaru."

The aristocratic demon stood off to the side and 'hnned'. "Jaken, we're going."

The imp freed himself from Naruto's foot and scampered to obey. "Y-Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama. Let's go, Rin!" The human child ran over to Jaken, and the shinobi was left behind.

She blinked in confusion, went over to walk beside the dog demon, and asked, "Oi, we're not going to spar today?"

Sesshoumaru didn't even glance her way and replied stoically, "No."

With furrowed brows, the woman inquired in puzzlement, "Why not?"

He didn't answer, and the shinobi had to ask adorable, little Rin for information. "Rin-chan, do you know what Sesshoumaru's doing?"

The child came over, held Naruto's hand in her smaller one, and chirped, "Sesshoumaru-sama wants to look for someone named Toutousai."

The shinobi raised a brow and glanced at the silent demon ahead. "You know he's scared of you."

"As he should be," Sesshoumaru replied aloofly.

The woman rolled her eyes and elaborated, "And even though he's afraid of you, he won't make you a new sword." She took satisfaction in the demon's scowling visage, and grinned. Yet, he didn't seem to want to be her sparring partner.

Skipping up to the annoyed male, Naruto pleaded unashamedly, "Come on! One spar, please! Toutousai isn't going to stop running away from you, anytime soon."

"No," Sesshoumaru replied with a clip tone.

The blonde blocked his path, with her hands on hips, and frowned. Her cerulean eyes glinted with stubbornness and whined, "Why not!"

The demon gazed at her blankly, and began to walk around the animate wall.

But then, Naruto threatened him with one thing. "I'll bring out the disinfectant bottle if you don't spar with me."

The dog demon paused in his tracks for a moment, and growled in irritation. Jaken and Rin watched the two in confusion and anxiety.

Turning to face the shinobi, Sesshoumaru's eyes bled red, and he growled, "Jaken, take Rin and go. I will return shortly."

The imp squeaked in fear and scuttled to obey his annoyed master. The retainer pushed Rin incessantly, and made the reluctant girl leave with him.

Once the two were out of range, Naruto pointed out, "You're making it sound like I'm going to let you win, Sesshoumaru." Bijuu mode was flaring energy all over the place.

Sesshoumaru 'hnned' and replied with cracking knuckles, "Let us get this over with. I have more important things to do."

The woman rolled her eyes and said, "You say that, but you and I both know you enjoy our fights."

The demon gave no answer, except a swift slash of his claws. Naruto dodged and went to give him a roundhouse kick. "That's more like it!" she yelled in excitement.

* * *

"Release me woman," Sesshoumaru snarled at the shinobi with red eyes. Their spar ended up taking awhile, and both gained some mild injures here and there. Right now, Naruto had frozen her opponent to lie down as she healed him. Of course, her patient didn't like this submissive moment, and struggled to free himself.

The blonde clicked her tongue disapprovingly and remarked, "No. I told you that I'm gunna heal you. I don't think Rin and Jaken will like it if you came back with blood on you."

"They will see it on my clothes, nevertheless," the demon pointed out in irritation.

Naruto gave him a mischievous grin and countered gleefully, "That's what you think. Watch." She moved her hand over a bloody splotch on his sleeve, and Sesshoumaru observed in fascination as the blood began to remove itself from the cloth.

"What is this ability?" the curious male inquired.

The blonde grinned proudly and stated, "It's what I did during my training with water. Lately, my chakra has been reacting to water, and I think that I've got my second chakra-nature. Removing water molecules from objects was one of the training methods back home, and I thought it might work with blood. Although, it takes more chakra to move blood than just water."

The demon 'hnned' and just observed the blood being removed from the rest of his clothes. From time to time, he watched Naruto scowl in annoyance, as her light-colored locks had escaped from their confines behind her ears. She didn't seem to have a hair tie, or ribbon, so she kept pausing in her work to move her hair away.

Sesshoumaru had a thought to hold the hair away for the woman, but remembered that she had frozen him. He had no choice but to roam his eyes elsewhere to relieve his boredom.

* * *

"All done!" Naruto exclaimed with twinkling eyes. She removed the freezing seal from her patient, and the demon stood up to straighten the wrinkles on his attire.

The shinobi rolled her eyes at the prude. Then she glanced over at her equipment and let out a gurgled wail. Sesshoumaru turned to see the blonde cry over her broken katana. "My sword! I-It's in pieces! It was Kakashi-sensei's gift!" she blubbered in hysterics.

Her demonic companion raised a brow and remarked casually, "You can have a blacksmith repair the damages."

The woman glared at him through her tears and snapped, "This isn't a regular sword! It's made from rare, chakra-conducting metal! This world doesn't have that!"

Sesshoumaru continued to just stare at the sulking shinobi, debating something before coming to a decision. He knew he was SO going to regret this, but seeing as the woman had been keeping him in debt; the demon believed his actions would negate everything.

Then, Naruto's teary eyes widened in shock when Sesshoumaru had pulled out a fang from his gums. The demon didn't look like he felt any pain, and tossed his fang to the stunned shinobi. The woman caught the object, and asked, "What is this for?"

The aristocratic being replied aloofly, "Give this fang to Toutousai and he will craft you a new sword. He has the competent abilities to create a weapon for humans."

With that, the demon began to walk away, but Naruto wondered, "Why did you give me this?"

Sesshoumaru didn't turn around, but vaguely answered, "With this, my debts are repaid." He left on a conjured cloud, leaving a speechless woman to stare at his departing form.

A light sparked into the blonde's eyes and she yelled at the demon, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru!"

He didn't seem to hear her, but Naruto knew better.

With a spring in her steps, the blonde went off to look for Toutousai.

A new sword! A new sword! Oh, she couldn't wait!

* * *

**This chapter might've been a little short cuz my brain's like fried from school right now.**

**In later chapters, I might put in specials like Gintama xovers, Bleach, etc. **


	13. Special: Gintama Arc 1

**AN:**

**To make up for the short ch. before, I'll put in this special as a consolation reward.**

**This was a Gintama crossover I thought about. Idk if I did a good job. :P**

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

Several, shrill screams were heard as residents of the Kabuki District gazed up to the sky. Little dots were visible, plummeting towards the ground at a quick pace.

A moment later, a huge crash reverberated throughout the area, and people went to investigate the cause of the problem.

* * *

Sakata Gintoki, Shimura Shinpachi, and Kagura were bug-eyed; slack-jawed, as well, to find their office totally trashed. Sadaharu patiently sat on his haunches and panted with innocence. The Yorozuya gang were coming back after a job well done when something, or _somethings_, collided into their home. The whole building was in pieces!

'My jump!' Gintoki wailed inwardly.

'My sukonbu!' Kagura raged inwardly.

'The office!' Shinpachi exclaimed in his head.

Suddenly, there was movement from the rubble ahead, and everyone in the vicinity noticed some silhouettes stumbling their way over to the sunlight. The first was a pretty, blonde bombshell that held her head in apparent pain. "I-Itai. What hit me?"

After her were a group of oddly dressed people: A girl in a school uniform, a silver-head with dog ears, a monk with his hair on his head, a pretty teen girl wearing a body suit, and a small fox-like kid.

But that escaped Gintoki's attention because he began to walk over to the blonde with a blank face. The man's sidekicks followed and whispered frantically with each other.

"W-Wait a minute, Gin-san. She could be dangerous."

"Gin-chan, what are you doing... Shinpachi, look! Gin-chan's drunk!"

"Don't you mean possessed, or enchanted, Kagura-chan? Besides, just how does he look drunk?"

"Don't you see it? His eyes all droopy like this, and he's not saying anything. He's walking like a snail too!" Kagura illustrated her reasoning with facial gestures, but Shinpachi didn't understand how that led to drunkenness.

However, their leader ignored them and came up to face the strange woman. The two held a staring contest, which seemed like an eternity to onlookers, before Gintoki knelt on one knee. He took one of the blonde's hands and gave it a kiss. "A fair-haired angel has appeared before me."

Everyone else face-faulted at that abnormal statement.

The woman let out a "huh?" in confusion. Who the hell was this dude?

The girl in the school uniform giggled and remarked amusedly, "Naruto-neechan, it looks like you've got yourself a new boyfriend."

'Naruto' jerked at that, and snatched her hand back from the strange perm-hair. Going up to her sister, the blonde flicked the girl's forehead. "You've been getting pretty bold, 'Gome."

Shinpachi and Kagura ran up to their 'love-struck' leader and shook the silver-head hysterically.

"G-Gin-san! Snap out of it! Why are you of all people in love!"

"That's right! Where'd that stupid ass, no good, lazy Gin-chan go!"

Gintoki suddenly stood up straight and declared grandly, "You idiots! None of you understand the meaning of beauty!" Pointing a rude digit at Naruto's direction, he exclaimed, "Look! That texture! That flowy and shining aura! That blonde hair is the most awesome thing I've ever seen!"

. . .

"WHAT!" his minions cried out in astonishment.

"W-Wait a minute! So you mean you're enchanted by the _hair_, not the _woman_?" Shinpachi asked in shock.

His boss scoffed and quirked a brow. "Well, yeah. What else did you think I was talking about?"

*BAM*

Kagura and Shinpachi were stomping on a downed Gintoki, angrily yelling.

"I was an idiot for thinking Gin-san finally found a girlfriend!"

"Yeah, yeah! You baka Gin-chan! I thought we'd finally get a real boss-lady!"

Spectators watched as the permy silver-head was flattened to the ground. Struggling up to his elbows, Gintoki snapped, "Y-You brats! What the hell do you think you're doing to your own leader!"

His sidekicks glared down at him and walked away.

"Let's go eat at that new café, Kagura-chan."

"Yeah, let's go. Gin-chan doesn't deserve any parfaits."

At the mentin of his favorite dessert, Gintoki lifted a hand to stop the two. "Wait! Don't leave me here, Shinura! Kagpachi!"

The other two shouted back.

"It's Shinpachi!"

"I'm Kagura! Sadaharu, bite him!"

In response, giant dog nearby barked happily, and walked up to a suddenly pallid perm-haired man. "N-No, no, no. Sadaharu, don't do it. I'm begging ya'!"

The canine didn't listen, and moved his jaws closer to the man's head. "Ah, wait a minute! I'll get you a nice piece of steak if you stop!"

Sadaharu paused and Gintoki grinned nervously. "That's right! I'll get you delicious meat if you let me go. How about it, Sadaharu?"

*CHOMP*

The Higurashi sisters and the Shikon group were alarmed to see the massive dog bite someone's head.

"Hn. How pathetic," an aloof voice of one Sesshoumaru sneered. Inuyasha and the gang were surprised to see the Ice-Prick with them. Naruto tilted her head and inquired curiously, "Hey, how'd you get here?"

The aristocratic demon scrunched his nose in distaste, and spoke with venom, "I do not know. There was a bright glow, and I was abruptly brought to this filthy ruin."

The shinobi rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, stop complaining. We're stuck here until we find out what's going on, and how to get back home. We've gotta work together."

Inuyasha looked like he was going to protest, but Kagome 'sat' him with a loud thump.

Sesshoumaru seemed to take joy in his half-brother's pain, but 'hnned' at the woman next to him.

Miroku being the more diplomatic one, walked over to Gintoki and Sadaharu, and asked, "Ano, 'Gin-san', right? Do you know where we are at the moment? My companions and I were suddenly teleported through a bright light, you see."

Inuyasha crawled over and scoffed. "Miroku, he won't talk until that damn dog lets go of his head."

The monk replied back, "I understand that, but how do you suppose we remove the dog? It might tear off the man's head if we interfere."

Naruto took a chance and crouched down to pet Sadaharu on the head. "Good boy. Don't let that curly-head baka go."

Kagome looked mortified and exclaimed, "Nee-chan! We don't want the dog to kill the guy! We need information!"

The blonde 'tsked', and carefully began removed Sadaharu's jaws from Gintoki's head. The canine seemed reluctant to budge, but the woman was stronger than he was.

Once the perm-haired man's head was released, he gasped, "Gah! I thought I was gunna die for a sec!" Glaring up at his assailant, Gintoki chided tactlessly, "Oi, Sadaharu, you really need a breathmint. Or maybe lay off on the crap you eat."

In response, Sadaharu clamped his jaws on the man's head again.

"Ah," the Shikon group remarked distantly.

* * *

"So..." a revived, but bruised Gintoki began tentatively. Inuyasha's group and he had moved over to Otae's home earlier, much to the woman's bewilderment.

She had just come home from a delightful shopping trip, and was met with the sight of Gintoki and a bunch of strangers lounging in her home. The gorilla-woman immediately decked the permy silver-head on the chin, and yelled angrily, "Don't use other people's homes without permission!" With a loud shout, the Yorozuya leader flew into a shoji screen, and out to a tree in the yard beyond.

Naruto whistled, impressed by the 'innocent'-appearing woman's strength. It was another Sakura, 'ttebayo!

Everyone else looked shocked, except Sesshoumaru, before Otae began apologizing for that 'disrespectful hooligan'.

Then, Miroku went all pervy, which earned him three new bruises; one from Naruto, one from Sango, and one from Otae.

Kagome attempted to calm everyone down, so here they all were now, sitting at a low table with warm cups of tea.

Even though he was still in pain, Miroku went all diplomatic again, and explained, "My companions and I were on a quest this morning, and everything was fine. But then, a bright light suddenly appeared, and we were abruptly falling from the sky. May I ask where we are?"

Otae seemed baffled by the situation and answered, "Well, right now, the Edo period has ended, and a foreign species called Amanto took over Japan. Technology has been improved drastically with their influence, the human government became a puppet for the Amanto, and swords have been banned from the public. That's why Gin-san is carrying a wooden sword, rather than a real one. We are also in the Kabuki District of Edo. Gin-san is the leader of his Yorozuya business, and I'm currently a hostess in a club."

Naruto and Kagome's eyes bulged wide. "WHAT!"

Everyone else was startled by their exclamation and Shippou stuttered fearfully, "H-Hey, w-what's wrong?"

The sisters exchanged glances and the younger one replied, "This isn't our world. Even the time I live in doesn't have technology as advanced as this world's."

Naruto gave her own two cents, "Yeah. We might've been pulled into an alternate universe guys."

"WHAT!" the rest of them went, except Sesshoumaru. The dog demon just narrowed his eyes and pinched his nose in exasperation.

Otae and Gintoki just stared at the worried group, bemused by their reactions.

* * *

**This is part 1 of 'idk how many' parts.**

**This was so random too.**


	14. Swords

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

"So...what happened while I was gone?" a curious Naruto asked as she twirled her new sword. The thing was kind of heavy, but she'd get used to it. The shinobi had managed to track down the old blacksmith, and got him to forge a new weapon. But when she told him where she had gotten the fang for it, he said the oddest thing ever; something about 'unruly pups', 'never in my entire life', and 'pursuits'; whatever that meant.

"Naraku lured Kouga's tribe with the Shikon fragments, and killed them all. Kouga wanted revenge, but a wind demon named Kagura made it difficult. We think she's born from Naraku," Shippou summarized as he ate a lollipop.

"Hmm..." the blonde let out. Naraku was making everything so much more complicated.

* * *

"You know...I didn't think that any of Miroku's victims would actually believe his 'will you bear me my children' speech," Naruto remarked incredulously.

"Me neither," Kagome and Sango replied in unison. The three females watched as a girl named Koharu clung onto the perverted monk. They had rescued the teenager when a group of armed men went after Sango. Koharu was running away from a spoiled noble's perverse advances, and had met Miroku years before. Naruto, Kagome, and Sango glared at him for baiting a girl that was even younger than Kagome. Apparently, she was willing to bear the pervy monk's children, seeing as he was her first love. Yet...Miroku himself looked like he was in a bind. Naruto snickered at his dilemma.

Inuyasha scoffed and said, "Let's just leave him and go."

* * *

The crickets chirped innocently in the dark, but an ominous presence silenced them immediately. Naruto jumped onto a roof and observed a strange, pale girl trying to suck Kagome's soul into a mirror.

'Kurama, what do you think of this?' the shinobi spoke inwardly.

A deep baritone replied, 'You have to break the mirror, Naruto. But the youkai seems to get her targets the moment they're in range. Move quickly, you stupid prime ape.'

Naruto sweatdropped. 'Will you ever stop insulting me?'

Kurama simply said, 'No.'

* * *

"Naraku...I should've known," the shinobi drawled with a blank face.

The sadistic spider-hanyou smirked as he turned to face her. "My, you are as stunning as ever, dear Naruto." Kagura and Kanna- the mirror demon- observed the two in puzzlement.

The blonde crinkled her nose in disgust and threw a chakra-laced kunai at him. Naraku moved his head away to dodge the projectile, but still got a cut from the wind. Blood slowly made its way to the surface, and the male touched his cheek with a curious hand. Licking his blood from his fingers, Naraku spoke pleasantly, "However, you have become much more aggressive than before."

Naruto smirked and her eyes flashed red like a fox's. Swiftly, she ran over to her enemy and raised a poised hand to make a slicing gesture. The three demons moved away from the blonde's target, and gazed at the ground as it was cut with finesse.

"A wind user?" Kagura wondered under her breath. That human woman's attack had quite the power in it.

Naraku landed a few feet away and chuckled, "Do you have time to play around like this, Naruto? You're friends will die at this rate."

The woman scoffed, "They're too stubborn to die; especially if it's related to you."

Abruptly, Naraku turned to face his minion. "What is it, Kanna?"

The emotionless demon spoke monotonously, "The souls, I cannot keep them contained." A crack sounded, and her mirror began to break under the pressure. Kanna raised her hands high, and numerous amounts of souls were released from the mirror.

"Naruto-sama, please move out of the way!" Miroku shouted from a distance. He unwrapped the beads around his right hand, and the shinobi made sure to stand behind him.

Naraku smirked and had his servants make their getaway. That human was too slow to think that he could use his Kazaana.

The monk 'tsked' and repositioned his beads on his hand, once more.

* * *

"OW! Can't you be gentler?" Inuyasha grumbled from his seat on the grass. The shinobi was treating most of his injuries, and boy, was there a lot of 'em!

A vein throbbed on Naruto's temple, and she purposely put pressure on the alcohol swab. The hanyou yelped at the horrid sting.

Shippou sweatdropped. "Inuyasha, I don't think you should make Naruto angry. You know how crazy she gets when she's mad."

Inuyasha scoffed and turned his back to his companions. It turned out to be a wrong move, since Naruto was hit in the face with his long hair.

Scowling in irritation, the blonde poured half of the disinfectant bottle onto his back wounds. The dog-boy howled in pain and jumped away from the woman. "WHAT THE FUCK!"

"That's what you get for being rude to me," Naruto sniffed daintily.

Inuyasha growled and stomped away.

* * *

Later, another one of Naraku's minions had terrorized the village the Shikon group stayed in, and they all went to investigate. The new enemy was a demon named Goshinki, and appeared to be able to read minds. The demon broke the Tetsusaiga, much to everyone's surprise, but suddenly went stiff.

The moment Naruto's 'mind' made its presence, Goshinki shied away in agony. "N-No! S-Stay away from me!" Why...Why couldn't he read this adversary's mind? The only thing he could 'read' was a pair of blood-red eyes and an animalistic grin. There was...so much _malice_ and _bloodlust_; it was overwhelming!

The shinobi quirked a brow. "How rude." Her sadistic streak made its way to the surface, and she walked towards the stumbling demon. Goshinki tried to flee, but Naruto wouldn't let him.

'Kurama, do you want to play for a bit?' the woman asked her foxy partner.

'Stop treating me like a pet!' the bijuu growled.

'Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Have fun, you stupid furball,' Naruto dismissed nonchalantly.

"Idiotic prime ape," Kurama spoke aloud. Energy flared everywhere as he took over his host's body.

Inuyasha, who was beginning to give into his demonic blood, was dripping sweat from the powerful pressure 'Naruto' was emitting. The greenery around 'her' began to grow at a rapid rate, and the others were transfixed at the sight.

"What influence," Miroku breathed in awe.

Kurama ignored them all and slowly walked towards a cowering Goshinki. Cracking 'his' knuckles, the bijuu spoke with a feral grin, "I haven't much fun in awhile, so you better make it worth it." The pressure increased, and Kurama lifted an arm to make a slashing motion.

Goshinki whimpered as his life flashed before his eyes.

* * *

"Phew!" Naruto exclaimed as she stretched her body. It was such a nice break! Turning to face her companions, she noticed their dumbstruck expressions. "What?"

Slightly pale, Kagome managed to say, "Nothing...Nothing at all, nee-chan."

Shippou shivered in the teen's arms. He knew it! Naruto was a psycho!

The shinobi quirked a brow in confusion. What's with them?

* * *

"Sesshoumaru-sama, there are yucky bits of flesh here!" Rin squealed as she pointed to the pile of Goshinki-meat.

Jaken panted as he caught up to the energetic girl, "You stupid human! Stop running around all over the place! It's bothering us!"

Sesshoumaru came up from behind and stepped on his retainer. "It appears that Inuyasha has been here." The daiyoukai could smell a faint citrus fragrance that was familiar. There was also a hint of Tetsusaiga as well.

Taking Goshinki's head, the demon began to talk away. "We're going," he told the imp and the child. 'The smell of Inuyasha's blood was the same as mine and father's,' Sesshoumaru thought in curiosity.

* * *

Naruto snickered as she lied down on a grassy hill. Her clone popped to relay a memory of Toutousai taking Inuyasha's fang out of the unsuspecting hanyou's mouth. That blacksmith had shown up with Myouga after smelling the change in Inuyasha's blood, and Toutousai cried like a baby when he found his precious masterpiece broken.

The group discovered that Tetsusaiga was the reason why Inuyasha never gave into his demonic heritage before, and since it was in pieces, the dog-boy was more susceptible to his blood-craving instincts. So now, everyone was near Toutousai's home to get the Tetsusaiga fixed up.

Kagome came over and sat down next to her sister's side. "Nee-chan, I know it's slipped my mind before, but what's with the new katana?"

Grinning like an excited child, the blonde hugged her sheathed weapon and said, "My old one broke from a spar with Sesshoumaru. I guess the big softy felt bad, cuz he gave me one of his fangs to get Toutousai to make me a new one." Rubbing her cheek against her sword, Naruto cooed, "It might not be like Kakashi-sensei's, but it's great~!"

Her sister sweatdropped at the disturbing display. "But nee-chan, I thought it was impossible for humans to enter Toutousai-jisan's lair." Besides, Sesshoumaru being nice? That wasn't easy to imagine.

Naruto hummed and responded thoughtfully, "I think my bijuu mode made it possible. I don't really get it, but Kurama said something about different resilience and whatnot."

*BONK*

"OW! What the fuck, you senile geezer!" the shinobi cursed as she nursed her injured noggin.

Toutousai yelled, "You idiot! That sword of yours is crying! You didn't call it by its proper name yet, did ya'!"

Eyes filled with unshed tears, Naruto cried out, "Its name? What name? You didn't tell me anything! I bet you forgot to tell me the most important things about it, too!"

_Suddenly_ becoming scatterbrained, the blacksmith wondered, "What didn't I tell you? What are you talking about, you crazy girl?"

The blonde got up and punched Toutousai in the face. "You stupid geezer! I know you're fakin' it!" she shouted out angrily.

* * *

Toutousai patted a hand against his triple-decker scoop of bumps on his head. Was it just him, or was his head becoming really heavy?

Next to him, the Shikon group sat around a campfire as the day turned to night. Lounging against a log, Naruto asked, "Old man, what did you mean when you said my sword was crying?"

The blacksmith acted childish and pouted. "Forget it. I ain't sayin' anythin' to a rude brat like you."

Naruto narrowed her eyes at him. He was the one who brought it up first!

Then, a light bulb went off in her head, and the woman let a sly smile grace her face. Dramatically, she sighed loudly, "That's a bummer. I guess I'll just have to give my sword a new name." Toutousai went stiff.

"I wonder what I should name it. It's gotta be an epic and awesome name, that's for sure." The demonic blacksmith looked like he was going to keel over.

"Kiba?" The elder cringed in his seat.

"Naruto II?" Toutousai made a strangled noise from his throat.

"The Badass Katana?" This time, everyone sweatdropped.

"Maybe it should have a 'hime' in its name, like Utahime!" The sword's creator twitched as he listened.

Everyone had their eyes on him as he shook like a leaf in the wind. Naruto rattled off some more names, like 'ramen', 'ero-sennin', 'Kyuubi's fang', 'gin (silver)'; and stupid ones like 'the annihilator', 'the big kitchen knife', or 'Naruto's most amazing and shiny katana'.

Finally, Toutousai couldn't take the insults anymore, and yelled loudly as he cried a river of tears, "Alright, alright! I'll tell you the name already! Just stop with the horrible titles!" Naruto smirked with satisfaction.

Sighing in resignation, the blacksmith told her, "Your sword's name is...the name is...what's its name again?" The blonde gave him a fourth tier to his collection of bumps, and scowled.

"Alright, alright! Sheesh! Why do you keep picking on an old and frail man like me!" Toutousai whined in pain.

Inuyasha felt like putting his two cents in, "Maybe cuz you're stupid and a coward."

Settling on his behind, the blacksmith reclined against a log and said, "The sword's name is Kazekiri (Wind Cutter)."

. . .

"Really?" Naruto inquired dubiously.

"What's with that face?" Toutousai snapped in annoyance. No one appreciated his talents!

"Well..." the blonde drawled as she exchanged glances with her sister, "I thought there would be some kind of badass title, you know, like Tetsusaiga...not a plain name."

A vein throbbed on the elder's head, and he held a hand out, "If you don't want it, give it back!"

Naruto refused vehemently by hugging her sword like a lifeline. "No way!"

"Then live with the name!" the blacksmith exclaimed in annoyance. Women. You can never stay sane with any of them.

*BONK*

Toutousai yelped in pain. A fifth tier was added to his growing bumps. "What was that for!"

The blonde narrowed her eyes and said, "You were insulting me; I could feel it."

Pretending to be senile, the elder replied, "What? Who's insulting who now? You must be really delirious if you're talking to yourself."

Naruto tugged on her hair in frustration and snapped, "Never mind! I get it, you old geezer! I'll stop bothering you!" The woman plopped herself onto the ground and turned away from the fire to sleep.

* * *

That night, it was the full moon cycle, and Inuyasha was free from his hanyou attributes. The more recent members of his group were fascinated by his human-self, since he seemed to be more considerate and caring than his brash-self was.

Suddenly, a malicious presence made its appearance, and everyone turned to face the source.

An unkempt and bestial demon stomped his way over, snarling, "Gu, gu, gu...Inuyasha, where are you?"

Scrunching her nose at some sort of foul smell, Naruto covered part of her face with a sleeve. In a nasally tone, she demanded, "Who're you! And take a bath, damnit!"

Scowling at the insult, the newcomer growled, "I'm Kaijinbou the Swordsmith!"

"Kaijinbou?" Inuyasha repeated under his breath. Who the hell was that?

Chuckling like a madman, Kaijinbou lifted the sword he held in his hands and said, "This sword that I forged, 'Toukijin' weeps Inuyasha! It wants your blood; all of it! Hyahahaha!"

Staring at him like he was stupid, Naruto pointed at him with a rude digit and asked her sister, "Hey 'Gome, are all old people like that?"

Sweatdropping at the random question, Kagome replied hesitantly, "Sah..."

* * *

Dawn had arrived, and Inuyasha was back to normal.

But...

"Naruto-sama, why are you not helping Inuyasha fight the Toukijin?" Miroku inquired curiously. Clearly, the dog-boy was losing because of Tetsusaiga's abrupt change in mass. At this rate, Inuyasha was going to die.

"Eh, he can deal," the shinobi replied, dismissing the entire scene. The others sweatdropped at her callous response.

* * *

"Oh, shit," Naruto abruptly cursed, and dived out of the way, grabbing the people around her to hit the deck.

"Wh-Wha?" Shippou stuttered in surprise.

"Ugh... Naruto-nee, what was that for?" Kagome complained as she was forced down.

Hiding behind a boulder, the blonde turned her wary eyes towards Toukijin, and simply said, "You'll see."

Miroku looked to the direction the shinobi stared at and began to say, "I don't see what's-" when a bright, blue blast hit Toukijin.

The monk was a bit frazzled from the sudden attack, and Naruto glanced at him. "Now you get it?"

"...Yes, I completely understand now," he replied with glazed eyes.

* * *

Sesshoumaru came to take Toukijin, and began to fight with Inuyasha. Rin was mysteriously absent, and in her place was the source of the blue energy- a two-headed dragon. As the two half-siblings fought, Tetsusaiga was removed from Inuyasha's side, the hanyou's aura started to change.

Toutousai panicked and tugged on Naruto's sleeve. "Hey, hey! Do something about Sesshoumaru; Inuyasha's gunna lose it!"

Quirking a brow, the blonde asked, "And what makes you think that I can stop this...sibling rivalry?"

"Eh? Isn't Sesshoumaru courtin' ya'?" the bewildered blacksmith inquired.

The Shikon group- including a suddenly-normal Inuyasha-, Myouga, and Jaken made some choked noises.

"WHAT!" they all yelled in shock.

Furrowing her brows, Naruto said, "What're you talking about, old man? He did no such thing."

Scratching his head, Toutousai pointed out hesitantly, "But he gave you his fang, didn't he?"

Sango's eyes widened, while the shinobi blinked. "So?"

Myouga jumped onto the blonde's shoulder and stuttered, "N-Naruto-sama, y-you don't know what t-that entails?"

"No," the woman responded with a blank face. "Besides," she began, "I don't think he meant it that way."

Everyone else thought over this information, and they could all agree that Sesshoumaru wouldn't have such 'passionate' intentions; especially since Naruto was _human_.

The dog demon in question scowled at the foolish blacksmith's misunderstanding. True, offering a valuable possession like his fang meant something in demon society, but the blonde didn't know that and he never meant it to be something intimate. The daiyoukai could tolerate the shinobi being in his presence, but it wasn't any deeper than a somewhat-civil relationship. They were all making a big fuss over nothing.

* * *

"Are you offended?" Naruto asked the only daiyoukai she knew, a little later. The woman had left her companions to train again, so...why not spar with Sesshoumaru?

Refusing to glance her way, the dog demon spoke monotonously, "No."

"Really?" the shinobi wondered dubiously. Wouldn't anyone be flustered over their misconception earlier?

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Naruto-neesama!" a cheery and young voice cried out happily.

The two adults looked over to see Rin running over, and narrowed their eyes in her direction.

"Rin-chan, don't move, please," Naruto requested in a normal tone.

The confused girl did as she was told, and Sesshoumaru took that opportunity to slash his new weapon towards the small cluster of trees.

As the trunks fell, they all noticed a kimono-wearing female dodge the sword's range.

"Kagura," the shinobi hissed as she caught up to Rin. The blonde immediately pushed the child behind her, and cracked her knuckles threateningly.

This time, Sesshoumaru glanced at the woman. "An acquaintance of yours?"

Naruto snorted. "Hardly."

Unfolding her fan, Kagura held it in front of the lower part of her face, and spoke civilly, "You are Sesshoumaru, correct?" Our favorite blonde felt a little insulted when the female dismissed her presence, and childishly glared at Sesshoumaru. 'It's all your fault!' her eyes screamed.

The daiyoukai seemed to understand Naruto's…plight, and an elegant brow subtly ticked in annoyance.

Then, Kagura went on with her 'I'm counting on you to defeat Naraku, so I can be free' speech, which Naruto zoned out on in favor of staring at a wandering butterfly.

With a gust of wind, Naraku's 'offspring' made her exit, and all was well, once again.

"Now will you spar with me?" the blonde asked Sesshoumaru, breaking the thoughtful silence.

The daiyoukai had the sudden urge to rub his temple in irritation, but clamped it down. So he said, "No," and began to walk away.

"Aw, come on!" Naruto pleaded childishly. She jogged after him; Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un following from behind.

And speaking of the two-headed dragon was curious about this strange human. His/their master was never fond of noisy mortals before, so what changed? This was so fascinating!

* * *

**I know it's short, but I had a brain fart. It wouldn't be fair if I updated my other story and waited ANOTHER week to update this one.**


	15. Naraku's Mess

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

"Yo!" Naruto greeted her friends in a Kakashi-like fashion. Under her foot was a crushed Kouga, who had the gall to pester Kagome...AGAIN.

The Shikon group sweatdropped at the blonde's actions. "N-Nee-chan, your foot," Kagome began anxiously.

Smiling down at her sister, Naruto didn't seem to notice anything amiss, and replied, "Hmm? What about my foot?" The struggling wolf demon under said appendage was trying to remove it, but the sandal-worn foot just applied more force.

"Ah! Kouga!" one of Kouga's two lackeys cried out in panic. The two lackeys tried to pull the shinobi away from their leader, but the strange human cackled sadistically as she threw both of them into a cluster of trees. The two demons were subdued with a noisy crash.

"You bitch! Let go, damnit!" Kouga growled as he squirmed under the shinobi's foot.

Still smiling that menacing smile, Naruto said, "Hmm? Did you say something, you piece of shit?" A demonic aura hovered over the woman, and Kouga sweated bullets. Gah! You could never reason with females!

*Crunch*

Kouga howled in pain when he felt something crushing his family jewels. The pressure didn't let up either, instead, it INCREASED. The wolf demon felt like crying a river at the moment.

The other males present winced in sympathy, but didn't try to assist the poor fellow. They knew better than to get in between Naruto and her 'toys'.

* * *

After another scuffle with Inuyasha, the wolf demon tribe left the Shikon group alone, and the hanyou was now sparring with a jolly Naruto. The shinobi was annoyed by how Inuyasha wasn't improving with his still-heavy Tetsusaiga, and made him fight her and her clones.

With another clang of metal, Naruto reprimanded her opponent, "You're still being brash, Inuyasha! Think of a strategy before going on the offense, you idiot!" Then she pushed back and did a back flip in midair.

Inuyasha hefted his weapon over his head and snapped back, "I'm trying, you bitch! Your fang isn't the one that's heavy, damnit!"

Undeterred, the blonde retorted, "Then find a way to accommodate that weight! Use your head, you moron! You're older than me, for God's sake!"

A vein throbbed dangerously on the hanyou's temple. Shaking with rage, the dog-boy rushed in for the kill, but was repelled with a single digit to his forehead.

Inuyasha blinked once, and was sent tipping over onto his back with a loud thump.

Their friends by the sidelines sweatdropped at the anticlimactic finish.

* * *

It was all a blur of brown, green, and black. Fallen branches snapped under moving feet, and the leaves swished from the temporary breeze.

There was erratic wheezing as a being ran away as fast as it could. A male with light colored hair chased after the fleeing creature, and a ring of metal was heard as a weapon was raised up high.

Then, the breathless creature smirked, and a loud echo of metal rang throughout the forest. There was a struggle for a moment, before the smirking being kicked its opponent in the gut. The adversary was thrown towards a tree, but was skilled enough to bounce back from the impact.

However, those few seconds were enough for its assailant. With a bright, blue sphere of power, the source cried out, "**Rasengan**!" and shoved its attack in its opponent's chest. But then, the being had to quickly dodge when something else tried to pierce its stomach.

The light colored male was shoved back a few feet, but was ready to get up again. And this time, a small, pincer-possessing pest appeared next to the victim. It looked a lot like his partner, but it seemed to be the more talkative one of the two. "Kukuku...this woman's quite feisty, Juuroumaru," the pest cackled eerily.

"Naruto-nee!" came the worried cry of Kagome nearby.

The being with the blue power- Naruto- 'tsked' and made a battalion of clones.

*Poof*

'Juuroumaru's' expression didn't change, but his..._companion's_ did. "What the hell?" the pincer-thing cursed.

Their enemy, or enemies in this case, said nothing. They swiftly drew their swords, and with a glow of cerulean eyes, they attacked viciously. They didn't bother to let up on their attacks, and stalled their adversaries from going after Boss's group.

The rest of the Shikon gang caught up to the brawlers, but the Original-Naruto stopped them with a hand. "You guys, be careful. There's two of them now. The smaller one's nastier than Juuroumaru."

Inuyasha scoffed, and unsheathed his Tetsusaiga. "I don't care. He smells like Naraku, and I plan to get rid of the stench."

The blonde sighed at his immaturity. "Suit yourself. I'm not healing you when your ass gets kicked."

"It's not good to quarrel with each other in the middle of a fight," Miroku chided with a sweatdrop.

"It's Inuyasha's fault," Naruto scowled.

"What! Why're you blaming me! You're the one who's hogging all the fights!" the hanyou countered in disbelief.

Giving him a condescending look, the shinobi replied bluntly, "That's cuz you're too slow, you idiot."

The dog-boy looked ready to maul the offending woman, but Miroku got in between the two. "Mah, mah. Please calm down you two. The fight's not over yet."

"Hmph!" the two stubborn individuals huffed, turning their backs on each other.

* * *

Thankfully, Kouga came back to help, but Naruto and Inuyasha still wouldn't cooperate with each other. As a result, the dog-boy got with stomach eaten by the pest- Kageroumaru- and Naruto had been bitten on the shoulder by Juuroumaru.

It didn't help either when Kurama refused to heal his partner's injuries, grumbling about how stupid she was being right now.

But then...it all went straight to hell when Kageroumaru glanced towards Kagome and purred hungrily, "I'm sure that mortal's flesh will taste delicious."

Inuyasha's eyes went bug-eyed, and he immediately stopped fighting to jump over to his friends' side, sweating bullets as he hid behind a tree. Of course, the rest of the Shikon group followed right after him, so Kouga was the only one left behind.

"Dog-turd, what's the matter with you-" the wolf demon started to say, but halted mid-sentence when he felt a VERY bloodthirsty aura. He too, ran behind a tree, and peered out warily as Naruto began to leak compelling killing intent.

Juuroumaru and Kageroumaru observed the shinobi with wary curiosity, but instantly went for an attack because of the 'opening' she gave them.

With a feral grin, Naruto looked at her opponents with red eyes, and snarled angrily, "You... You have guts to say that right to my face." In a blur of red and yellow, she vanished to quickly reappear by Juuroumaru's side, and beheaded him with her Kazekiri. A fine spray of blood coated her shirt, but the woman dismissed the mar.

Kageroumaru went underground with a 'tsk', but the enraged shinobi didn't care. Out loud, she spoke to her partner, "Oi, Kurama, I'll let you play for a bit. Show no mercy for me, would you?"

A more masculine voice answered from the same body, an equally sadistic and feral grin manifested on 'his' face, "**MY PLEASURE**." The red eyes glowed with the pulsation of power, and volatile chakra flailed everywhere.

* * *

Everyone had dumbfounded expressions on their faces as a big chunk of the forest was reduced to bits. Miroku shuddered in apprehension. If Naruto ever became serious when she wanted to bring about 'divine punishment', the monk wouldn't survive to make himself a harem.

Inuyasha and the others with sensitive hearing huddled close by, clutching their ears in agony. They all had headaches from the onslaught of crashes, booms, slashes, and clanging.

"Nee-chan, look what you've done to the forest!" Kagome exclaimed in shock.

"Eh, what's done is done, 'Gome... Hey! At least Juuroumaru and Kageroumaru can't bother us anymore," Naruto replied indifferently.

Kouga, who was crouching next to his rival, whispered to the dog-boy, "Oi, just what kind of _thing_ are you traveling with? She's like a devil incarnate, I tell ya', and that's HUGE praise in our society."

Inuyasha replied in the same hushed manner, "Keh! You don't even know half of it."

*BONK*

The two conversing males clutched their heads in pain. A big bump formed on their noggins as Naruto grabbed both of their heads, and slammed them against each other.

"Argh! You bitch!" the dog-boy cursed weakly, rubbing his sore temple.

Kouga was rolling around on the ground, trying to ward off the pain in his already-aching head.

"Serves you right," the shinobi said, smirking at her handiwork.

* * *

A few days later, the Higurashi sisters jumped into the magical well for a small break. Well...Kagome just wanted to get away from Inuyasha for awhile, while Naruto just wanted to eat some high-quality ramen and visit some places.

But after a short nap, the younger sister decided to return to the Feudal Era, so the older was left to her own devices...and mischief.

Naruto decided it was time to visit Present-Sesshoumaru again, so she put away her shinobi equipment in exchange for civilian clothing. When the woman entered the demon's workplace, she had to deal with his demonic receptionist again.

"Yo! Is the old dog in?" Naruto asked cheerfully as she made her way towards the front desk.

Unaffected by the change in atmosphere, the purple-haired receptionist replied adequately, "Yes. He is currently in his office, Namikaze-san."

The blonde felt goose bumps appear when the demon called her that. "Uh...You can drop the 'san'. I'm not one for honorifics, much."

Sniffing daintily, the worker answered calmly, "My apologies, but I cannot do such a thing. It would be disgraceful to treat Sesshoumaru-sama's acquaintances indecently...no matter how _outrageous_ they are."

Naruto let a fake smile grace her lips as she 'laughed', "Ah-haha... Mah, I guess I can understand that..." Then, she trailed off, preferring to walk over to the elevator than talking to the offensive demon.

* * *

*BANG*

Great oak doors were thrust open as Naruto made a flashy entrance. "Yo, Sesshoumaru! How's it goin'?"

The daiyoukai, who was signing a stack of papers, sighed at the wild woman's actions. "Why have you come here, Naruto?"

Plopping herself on a sofa, she made herself welcome and replied, "Erm...cuz I'm bored?"

"My office is NOT a playground," the CEO said wearily.

Planting her feet on top of the expensive coffee table, Naruto responded nonchalantly, "Mah, mah, such insignificant details, my friend. Let me indulge myself in my boredom a bit longer, would you?"

Sesshoumaru 'hnned' and went back to signing his documents. He could never bother to argue with the woman; it always backfired on him.

However, a minute later, Naruto got curious and asked, "Hey, Sesshoumaru, is Shippou still around?"

Not bothering to pause in his writing, the daiyoukai answered, "Yes. The fox kit is still here... Although, he may have picked up your mischievous habits." At that last part, he looked up to glare at the blonde.

Naruto appeared to be insulted and exclaimed, "What'd I do! I'm not even that close with him. Hell, he prefers to avoid me as much as possible!"

Rubbing a hand against his temple to ward off a headache, Sesshoumaru replied, "That doesn't stop an _impressionable_, young child from experimenting with 'interesting' ideas. Even though it is in his nature to be playful, your influence has made it...a pain."

"But he's grown out of it, right?" the woman prodded curiously.

Giving her a dull gaze, the demon sighed, "No... In fact, he's become worse."

Naruto sweatdropped. She wondered just HOW bad Shippou had gotten to make the Ice Prick irritated. Out loud, she inquired, "Do you think I can see him? It'd be nice to hear from him."

Returning to his stack of papers, Sesshoumaru answered uninterestedly, "My secretary can give you his number and address."

"Oh, thanks. See ya' later, Oh Lord of Ice," the blonde exaggerated with a bow. She quickly closed the door in time to block a rogue pen from jabbing her in the eye.

Naruto snickered in amusement. "Man, Ship-Ship, just what did you _do_ to him?"

* * *

"And here I am, thinking that this is Shippou's _humble_ abode, but...just how far is it?" our favorite shinobi commented exasperatedly. She arrived by taxi, but all she could see was a huge gate with the address, and miles and miles of trees.

Taking out her handy-dandy cell phone, Naruto dialed the fox's number. After a short ring, a jolly male voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Shippou, what's with you and trees? I can't see your house from here," the blonde told the person, hoping it was the fox kit.

"...Who's this? Haru, are you prank-calling me again?" the male interrogated irately.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. It's me, boy-o, Namikaze Naruto," the woman elaborated sheepishly.

"Eh? Naruto? The crazy and sadistic Naruto?" Shippou wondered with building enthusiasm.

A vein throbbed on Naruto's temple. "Who're you callin' crazy!"

There was faint sputtering sounded on the other end, before the fox demon corrected himself, "My bad, my bad. I mean...the _beautiful_ and sadistic Naruto. Happy?"

Sniffling dramatically, the woman responded 'tearfully', "No. You hate me, don't you? Shippou hates me, 'ttebayo! I'm telling Sesshoumaru on you!"

"No! Don't tell the old dog! I'm sorry! I don't hate you, Naruto!" Shippou panicked over the phone.

The shinobi couldn't help but guffaw at the way the fox kit was acting. Couldn't he take a joke?

"Whatev. Just let me in, would ya'?" Naruto replied impatiently, tapping her foot to demonstrate her irritation.

"... You're not going to tattle on me, are you?" her old companion inquired suspiciously.

Rolling her eyes at that, the blonde said, "No."

"Oh. Okay!" Shippou responded excitedly. Naruto could practically 'see' him bouncing around in joy.

Then, the big gates opened automatically, and the shinobi walked through the entrance. "But I gotta say, Ship-Ship, you're loaded!"

"Aww, it's nothin'!" the fox demon batted away playfully, "You should see Sesshoumaru-sama's place. It's way bigger than mine."

The woman on the other end sweatdropped. 'Oi, oi, just how rich are you guys?' she thought in disbelief.

* * *

After much reminiscing on old memories, discussing new pranking techniques, and eating junk food; Namikaze Naruto was ready to head on home. Shippou offered to drive her home, but the blonde wanted to walk the extra weight off. Thus, as she wandered down the darkening streets of Tokyo, the woman reflected over the new version of the immature fox kit she hung out with today.

Naruto couldn't believe that Shippou grew up to be tall, his auburn hair as long as Sesshoumaru's, and was running his own company with the daiyoukai's partnership. Even though she still thought him to be a little brother of some sort, the fox demon had grown up to be a lady-killer. Furthermore...the blonde couldn't BELIEVE that he had picked up Miroku's perverted habits!

Naruto had almost busted Shippou's hearing when she began ranting about 'playboys' and 'disappointing little brothers'. Then, the fox had the gall to bribe her with ramen, which she almost gave into, except that she noticed that he was trying to entice her with _expired_ ramen cups. He apparently wanted to get rid of the things lying around in his kitchen, and thought she would succumb to anything with 'ramen' in it.

Heh. He was clearly mistaken when Naruto had lit his hair on fire, and burned his precious _Icha Icha_ right in front of him.

Shippou tried to get revenge, but Sesshoumaru came to visit around three o'clock, and wasn't ecstatic about the mess the two friends were in. He didn't exactly yell at them really, but his fuming demeanor and red eyes worked wonders. The daiyoukai made the two troublemakers clean up everything, and kicked them out of the house, even though it was _Shippou's_ home.

After that, Naruto told the fox demon that he was whipped, and not because of a female.

Feeling insulted, Shippou retorted by saying, "Sesshoumaru's the one that's whipped. Have you even _seen_ him while we searched for the shards? That dog acted like he's been in heat for years, but his pride wouldn't let him do anything about it."

"What?" the blonde wondered skeptically.

Realizing what he was saying, the auburn-haired demon slapped his mouth shut with a hand. Giving her a sheepish smile, Shippou told the shinobi, "Forget I even said that, Naruto. He's gunna kill me if he hears that from my mouth." It wouldn't hurt to lie, even though he knew how Sesshoumaru felt about _that _female.

Of course, being a shinobi, Naruto recognized it when someone was lying, but Shippou must have a good reason for keeping mum.

He's grown up in an interesting way, to say the least.

* * *

When she got home, the blonde was met with the sight of Kagome staring blankly at the T.V. Tiptoeing behind the couch, Naruto yelled in her sister's ear, "I'M BACK!"

However, the teen didn't seem to hear it and continued to stare forward. "What the hell?" the woman mumbled perplexedly. Walking around the furniture, the blonde blocked the screen and stared into her sister's eyes. Kagome ignored the probing and sighed. Still not acknowledging her sister's presence, the troubled girl decided to return to her room for a nice, long nap.

"Now that's really weird," Naruto commented with a scratch of her head. Then she frowned; it had 'Inuyasha' written all over it.

* * *

*Jiiii~*

*Jiiii~*

Kagome and Inuyasha fidgeted under an intense gaze from a pair of cerulean eyes. Their group were sitting on Hachi as they traveled across the lands, in search of a ruined castle.

Miroku, the constant mediator in the group, asked tentatively, "I-Is there something on your mind, N-Naruto-sama?"

Not breaking her gaze from her sister and the dog-boy, the blonde replied calmly, "No. Why do you think that?"

Sango, Miroku, and Shippou all shared a glance before the monk responded lamely, "Nothing... It was just a thought."

Naruto 'hnned' like Sasuke would when he was occupied, and continued to stare at her targets. She inwardly smirked at the way Inuyasha and Kagome squirmed under her gaze; this was so much fun!

* * *

At the present, Sango was bowing down to Naruto, which shocked everyone in the camp. And the shinobi, who was slurping up some ramen, choked on her dinner as she sputtered, "W-What did you say?"

With her head bowed low, the slayer repeated, "Please, help me return Kohaku's memories! Kagome-chan told me that you are able to go into someone's mind." They had stumbled upon her brother, earlier that day, but he appeared to have lost his memories.

"What!" Naruto shrieked uncharacteristically. She glared at her apologetic sister, who silently begged for forgiveness, and then turned back to scratch her cheek uncomfortably. "Erm...Sango, I don't know what Kagome told you, but I can't go into _someone else's _mind. I can only go into my own."

The bowing teen seemed heartbroken at that answer, so the blonde added, "Besides, I don't think it'd be wise to force another to regain their memories. The brain's a tricky thing to work with, and if something goes wrong in the process of the procedure, Kohaku could die." Sango looked absolutely horrified at that response, and nodded in understanding.

"My, my, what disgusting worms have we've got here today," a sneering voice of Kagura entered confidently.

The Shikon group turned to face the demon, who had a horde of lesser ones with her, weapons drawn and ready to battle; except Naruto. Instead, the blonde sat cross-legged on a boulder, and propped a hand on her knee to rest her head on. "What'd you come here for, Kagura-chii? Kohaku?" the woman asked with naive-like cheeriness.

Scrunching her nose in distaste, the wind demon snapped, "Don't act like we're close to each other!" and then said calmly, "Naraku wants Kohaku back, and so, would you please..._kindly _return him to me."

"Never!" Sango hissed angrily. She rode on a large Kirara's back and went for Kagura, but the horde of other ones blocked the slayer's way. Naruto sighed at the teen's brash behavior.

Kagome and Shippou had gone inside the hut they were lodging in with the amnesiac-Kohaku, while Inuyasha fought the lesser demons with Miroku.

Standing up to stretch slowly, Naruto glanced at the wind demon, "It would've been nice if we just could settle our differences. I wouldn't mind sharing the sake with you if you wanted."

"Eh! You had sake and you didn't tell me!" Miroku exclaimed in disbelief as he repelled another enemy.

"Why the hell would I share my liquor with _you_?" came the callous reply.

Inuyasha barged in irately, "You dumb monk, fight first, complain later!"

"Hai, hai..." the 'holy' man consented sulkily.

With Naruto, she dodged Kagura's **Fuujin no Mai (Dance of the Wind God)** and returned the favor with **Daikamaitachi no Jutsu (Grand Slashing Wind Jutsu)**.

The wind demon smirked, "It's useless. I control the wind." She sent another gust to cancel the blonde's attack.

Leaping away to stand on a tree, the shinobi pointed out, "Well, you know what they say; it'll come back to bite you in the ass. Someone's going to beat you in your own game, someday."

"Hmph. Unlikely," Kagura replied, waving her fan again.

Making a few clones, Naruto had them use the Great Breakthrough and combine it with the Ryuuka technique's fire power. Of course, their opponent was quite shocked to see an enormous jet of flames coming straight at her.

"Really? Then I'll show you right now," the Original-Naruto said, holding a screeching sphere of energy in her sennin-enhanced palm. Her barred-eyes glowed threateningly as she displayed a feral grin on her lips. "Just to let you know, I've been holding back...A LOT!" and the shinobi threw that volatile ball toward Kagura with a great shout, "**Fuuton: Rasenshuriken**!"

The clones that were left over grabbed everyone from the Shikon group and Kohaku, and took them away to an extensive amount of distance from the 'battlefield'. The original only leapt back a few feet, and watched as Kagura tried to escape with a feather.

"Sorry, Kagura-chii... It would've been fun with you around," Naruto whispered with faint regret. The blonde had realized awhile ago that the demon wanted nothing more than to be free...free like the wind. However, as long as Naraku held the cards, it wasn't possible to break those chains. Perhaps, it would just be better for Kagura to enter a deep sleep.

'Rest in peace, you poor soul,' the shinobi prayed sincerely.

*BOOM*

"Nyeh-hehehe! How'd you like that, 'ttebayo!"

Powerful gusts flailed all over the place, but Naruto stuck firmly to the ground. When the dust cleared away, her attack's destruction was evident. But when she glanced up to the sky, the blonde could see a tattered and bloody Kagura making her retreat on a semi-shredded feather.

"All that's left is to deal with Kohaku," the shinobi mumbled with a grimace. It was on accident, but since her sennin mode let her read malicious intent, it was quite easy to read Naraku's from Kohaku's Shikon fragment.

Sango would be devastated, but she'd get over it sooner or later.

Yet...one thing made the Great and Powerful Naruto pause in her task.

"Uh...Boss, we've got a problem," one clone called out weakly.

Turning to face her copy, the Original was about to say, 'Not now,' when the clone popped to relay the memories.

The sage's eyes bulged, ridiculously wide, in horror.

"NNNOOOO!" she screamed in total despair.

"MY RAMEN'S BEEN BURNED TO ASHES! WHY! WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME, OH GREAT ONES! It was a limited edition set, too!"

* * *

A couple miles away, Inuyasha halted in his steps, ears twitching slightly.

"What is it?" Kagome asked anxiously.

The hanyou scoffed, "Nothing much. Just Naruto whining about her burnt ramen... Wait a minute, ramen? ... RAMEN!" He, too, began to sulk at the sudden loss of those delicious noodles.

"We can just buy more," the girl pointed out with indifferently, and began to drag the gloomy Inuyasha along the road. They still had to go after Sango and Kohaku- Naraku possessed him again.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but did I just hear that Sango's gone suicidal?" Naruto inquired incredulously. She had caught up to her sister just to discover the slayer's insanity?

*BONK*

"OW! Damnit, why'd you hit me, 'Gome!"

"Nee-chan, I didn't say Sango was suicidal! I said she was going to kill Kohaku so she could release him from Naraku's grasp," Kagome told her sister with frustration in her tone.

Moh, did one thing always go through one ear, and flushed out of the other, with Naruto?

* * *

The morning sun rose steadily and warmly, with the Shikon group was resting from the previous day's experiences.

At the moment, Sango was sitting beside a bedridden Miroku inside an abandoned hut. A gloomy aura hovering over the distraught teen as she spoke softly, "I'm sorry, Houshi-sama. For my sake, you sucked up the Saimyoushou's poison..."

Sweat rolled down his cheeks as the monk replied weakly, "Sango...don't look so sad. There is hope...for Kohaku as well."

"Houshi-sama," the female hiccupped through an onslaught of tears.

"You look beautiful when you smile, so don't cry, okay?" Miroku coughed out gently.

"Yes... Thank you," Sango replied with smile.

Then, the monk let out a deep sigh, and closed his eyes wearily.

Thinking of the worst, Sango shook him, trembling as she did. "W-Wait, don't die! Hang in-" she began, but immediately 'eeked' when _something _groped her backside.

It didn't take a genius to know WHO was doing such a lecherous deed.

*BAM*

With a shuffle of feet, Shippou came in with a bottle of water. "How's Miroku?" he asked as he brought over the liquid.

The perverted monk was sent to Lala-land by a powerful right hook, and now sported a egg-shaped bump on his noggin.

"He seems to have gotten better," Sango answered with restrained anger.

Next, Naruto came in with a lollipop in her mouth. "How's Ero-Houshi?"

"True to his perverted tendencies, Naruto-san," the slayer replied with a tight eye-smile.

The blonde sighed in response. "Geez. I've warned him over and over, but he still pulls that crap." Walking over to the monk, Naruto poked him on the cheek and told the unconscious man, "If you don't stop it, I'll be forced to do something drastic. Hell, Ero-Sennin never liked it when I resorted to those punishments."

Even though the sleeping man couldn't hear the shinobi's warnings, Miroku couldn't help but let a cold shudder scrape his form.

"Hey Shippou, want to doodle on Miroku's face?"

"Really! Can I!"

"Sure. I've got a whole bunch of coloring markers. Just let me write 'HENTAI' on his forehead first."

"Hai!"

"Ara, Naruto-san, may I assist you as well?"

"Eh. Sure, why not? More the merrier I say."

The hut's straw screen was shifted to the side, and two more individuals entered the small building.

"Nee-chan...what are you doing? Shippou and Sango-chan, too. Just what are you guys doing with those markers?"

"Geh, it stinks in here! What's with all the ink?" Inuyasha's rude voice complained nasally.

"Oh, sorry. Did you guys want a turn, too?" Naruto asked sheepishly.

"Nee-chan! I can't believe you're doing something so immature! And you're supposed to be the adult around here!"

"Oh, don't be such a prude, 'Gome. I know you want to doodle on the monk."

"I-I do not!"

"LIAR! I heard the hesitation in your voice!"

There was a minute of silence.

"I know you want to; don't resist the temptation~!"

Another minute went by.

Then, with a ruffle of cloth, a marker cap was pulled off with a loud pop, and scribbling could be heard.

"I told you so, but no~, you just HAD to reject my words for your own delusional whims."

"I'm sorry... You were right, and I was wrong. Forgive me?"

"Yup!"

"Keh! This is so stupid!"

"... Then what's that you're holding in your hand? Ooh~, is that a _marker_ I see? Hah! I knew you couldn't resist either, you sly dog!"

"...K-Keh."


	16. Special: Gintama Arc 2

*THWACK*

*THWACK TWACK*

*BAM*

Two wooden swords pushed against each other with great force, but neither would budge.

At the moment, Sesshoumaru and Naruto were sparring in a wide dojo with some bokken, since using their own weapons could destroy the whole place in no time. The other members of the Shikon group were either resting, eating, or exploring the 'Alternate Japan'; so the two fighters were left to their own devices. The shinobi was really bored, and decided that she and her demonic friend should try out the 'awesome dojo'. And seeing as how the daiyoukai had nothing better to do, he agreed to the practice.

With a fierce push, the two sparring partners leapt away from each other, and the blonde female maneuvered her weapon to prepare for a wide slash. In response, Sesshoumaru simply calculated where her attack would hit, and countered with a swift swing of wood.

*CRACK*

Shimura Otae sat by the wall of her family's dojo, entranced by the beautiful spar taking place in front of her eyes. She had never seen two people fight with so much skill before! It was just amazing!

Next to her, a bored Sakata Gintoki was lying on his side; his head propped up with an arm, and shamelessly picked his nose with his other hand. Flicking a booger he captured to the side, the permy-hair watched the two fighters go at each other, none giving in to the other. The old samurai was impressed that a man with only one arm could fight against a fierce opponent like Naruto, but then again, Sesshoumaru wasn't a human. Heh. That fellow silver-hair could be a wormy-Amanto for all Gintoki cared, and would still act like one of those high school pretty boys... Wait. That didn't make sense at all.

Huh?

Besides, WHY did the Great Gintoki-sama have to be here anyways? Stupid, Gorilla-Woman. He'd rather be reading Jump or eating parfaits than watching this crap.

Speaking of parfaits, Kagura and Shinpachi hadn't come by for a stop yet. Those traitors! Geh! Who cares about those ungrateful brats anyway? They can go rot in a ditch for eternity, damnit!

Gintoki furiously picked his nose again, and didn't notice something flying towards him.

*WHOOSH*

"Gwah!" the nose-picker cried out when a stray bokken hit him in the forehead. He fell backwards with a loud thud.

*Squish*

"Man, sorry about that!" Naruto apologized sheepishly as she ran over to assist the fallen man. She lifted him up to a sitting position, but suddenly leaped away with a shrill shriek.

"W-What is it?" Otae asked worriedly. Did something horrible happen to the lazy hooligan? And why didn't that man dodge the projectile at all? Wasn't he supposed to be an expert swordsman?

Crawling behind a standing Sesshoumaru's legs, the blonde woman stuttered, "H-H-His finger! Look at where his finger is!"

A confused Otae, and a curious Sesshoumaru, turned to look at Gintoki, only to be met with the sight of the man's finger stuck up his nostril…WAY more than it normally should be, and _bleeding_.

Ignoring the attention on his person, the nose-picker attempted to free his nostril from its fleshy plug, but the finger wouldn't come out.

. . .

'N-No way!' Gintoki screamed in his head. Bullets of sweat ran down his face as he tried to BREATHE. 'I-It's okay, Gintoki, it's not the end of the world if you have your own finger up your nose. Aren't there other people who lived even after worse situations than this? What about those medical soap operas Kagura watched before? The doctors had to amputate that one guy's hand cuz he had his finger stuck up his ass before, right? ... OH MY GOD! I'M GUNNA DIE! I'M GUNNA **DIE**!'

"H-Hey, are you okay?" a hesitant Naruto asked the troubled man.

Taking his frustrations out on her, the permy-hair glared and yelled, "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M FINE! I'VE GOT A HUGE PROBLEM RIGHT HERE! GAH! MY FINGER WON'T BUDGE, DAMN IT! WHAT IF IT'S STUCK THERE FOREVER? I'M GUNNA DIE, CAN'T YOU SEE THAT! HOW ARE YOU GUNNA TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS, HUH?"

*BAM*

Otae's fist sizzled with faint pain as Gintoki was knocked unconscious with a punch to his noggin. Smiling harmlessly, the Nidaime Haruno Sakura said, "Hoho-ho. I'm sorry you had to see that, Naruto-san, Sesshoumaru-dono. I'll take care of this right away. Please, why don't you relax for a bit?" and dragged the limp man out of the dojo.

* * *

"Why the hell are we doing this!" a pissed-off Inuyasha exclaimed angrily, throwing a hammer on the roof he was supposed to be patching. A tile broke under the thrown hammer, and Kagome began berating the dog-boy for ruining the new piece they had placed.

"Mah, mah, it can't be helped, Inuyasha. Until we can go home, we are under the care of Otae-dono and Gintoki-san; it's given that we show our gratitude by assisting them," Miroku said as he walked across the half-finished roof.

The majority of the Shikon group chose to help their 'saviors' of this odd world, and now were currently patching a new roof with Gintoki. Much to Inuyasha's frustration, Sesshoumaru had been allowed to be exempted from the labor, since Otae had said that a beautiful specimen like the daiyoukai could do whatever he wished. Right after that, she had promptly swooned with a dreamy expression on her face. Gintoki couldn't resist and commented that the Gorilla Woman could never get a husband of the demon's caliber. The insensitive samurai had been kicked out of the home with a new bruise on his eye.

"AAAHHH! You're that guy! From that one time at Ikeda!" a masculine shout rang from down below.

Curious, all of the laborers glanced down to the ground, and saw Gintoki talking to two men- Okita Sougo and Hijikata Toushirou- carrying sheathed swords. They must be the 'Shinsengumi' Otae had told the other-worlders about; those officers that were allowed to carry real swords around.

As the group observed the two men's interaction with Gintoki, they noticed that the permy-hair had said something offensive to the one with black hair; if Naruto's snickering gave anything away.

* * *

*BAM*

The Shikon group sat down on their workplace, and calmly drank some tea they had magically brought. Somehow, Gintoki, or maybe just Gin-Baka, had insulted the dark-haired officer again, and now, the two were fighting with real weapons.

On the other side of the roof, an oblivious carpenter shouted angrily, "Gin-san, if you're fooling around, I won't pay you! And that goes for your group of lackeys, too!"

Back with Gintoki, he had gained a new wound on his shoulder, but lied down on the roof to yell back, "Shut the hell up, Baldy! Call the police, damnit!"

"I **AM **the police!" Hijikata cried out with a throbbing vein on his temple.

By the sidelines, Sango nervously turned to Naruto. "N-Naruto-san, shouldn't we do something? At this rate, all of the work we've done will be ruined."

Steadily standing up with a stretch, the shinobi replied lazily, "I should. But Gin-chii looks like he's got everything under control."

"Oi! Don't call me 'Gin-chii'! What kind of derogative pet name is that!" the Yorozuya Leader shouted irately.

"Then what about 'Gin-chan?" Naruto inquired dully. She absentmindedly picked at the stray earwax in her ear. Finding one, she carelessly flicked it away from her person.

'Whoa. Talk about déjà vu,' Gintoki thought in confusion. Where had he seen that before? Shaking his head to get back to the topic at hand, he yelled out loud, "Hell no! It's Gin-san, Gintoki, or Gintoki-sama to you!"

Dismissing his demands with a snort, the blonde replied amusedly, "No way... How about '**Kintoki'**?"

Kagome squawked immediately in embarrassment. "Nee-chan!"

The man with a _similar_ name made a very furious face and roared crossly, "FUCKIN' HELL NO! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT! ... Did you meet someone called Sakamoto Tatsuma? Did he tell you that goddamn nickname!"

*SMASH*

Everyone turned to face a steadily, frustrated Hijikata Toushirou stab his sword on the broken roof tiles.

"Ah! Look what you did, you moron! I've just finished patching those!" Gintoki cried out crossly.

"THAT'S NOT WHAT'S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW, YOU IDIOT!" his forgotten opponent exclaimed to the heavens in exasperation.

* * *

"Hehe, he's an interesting person. I, too, would like to cross swords with him one day," Okita Sougo commented from his perch on higher ground; A.K.A., a taller building.

"Don't even think about it. It'd be tough even for you, Sougo," Kondo Isao, his leader, replied with a chuckle. The man didn't seem to mind the bandaged cheek he had gained from the sadistic silver-hair. "That guy...even with a blade right in front of his eyes...he's the type of guy that'll fight in a completely different place. A place that surpasses winning or losing, clean or dirty."

"Eh, are you sure about that?" a cheerily voice chirped from the two comrades' side. The two men whirled to face a humming and smiling Naruto.

"Who're you?" Okita asked bluntly.

"**K**intoki's friend," the woman replied with a smirk. Abruptly after that, she vanished in a puff of smoke, shocking the two men left behind.

A moment of silence hovered over before Okita incredulously asked his elder, "Kondo-san, the man who kicked your ass is called _Kintoki_?"

"Eh? I don't really remember... I think it was," Kondo replied while he scratched his head.

His junior turned to look at him with a deadpanned expression, and said, "That must mean _something _very significant, Kondo-san. I wonder if that man actually lives up to his name."

"Eh? What are you talking about, Sougo?"

* * *

After repairing the broken tiles, Gintoki and the Shikon group returned to Otae's place with empty stomachs.

Inside the Shimura complex, Kagura and Shimpachi had returned with a box of desserts- which had been mostly cleared out- and greeted their leader, "Welcome back, everyone!" Otae and Sesshoumaru sat down, too, the latter drinking tea as the other ate a foreign delicacy.

The Shikon group sat down to join them at the table, while Gintoki stood, stock-still with his eyes shadowed behind his bangs.

. . .

*BAM*

"WHAT KINDA' WELCOME IS THIS! YOU'RE ALL FILLING YOUR STOMACHS WITH SWEET GOODNESS, MAKING US ALL WATCH WITH DROOLING MOUTHS! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO YOUR OWN BOSS!" Gintoki exclaimed furiously. Was that a _parfait_ Otae was eating!

"What are you talking about, Gin-chan? These are all sukonbu, uh-huh! Anego bought special edition versions!"

"LIAR!"

"Mah, mah, calm down, Gin-san. I admit, these are sweets; but these are for Sesshoumaru-dono and his companions. Besides, Gin-san, you're still on that NO SUGAR diet, remember? You have to lose that extra weight you gained. That means, NO PARFAIT for you... Here, Nee-san made some scrambled eggs for you."

"...Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? WHY THE HELL WOULD I EAT THAT GORILLA WOMAN'S SHITTY- Ow! What the hell, Otae!"

"Ara, did you say something, Gin-san?" the woman's _concerned _voice asked.

"...No. I didn't say anything."

* * *

**I forgot which Gintama ep. Hijikata meets Gin. :P**

**I tried to make this overdramatic and whatnot.**

**Btw, I didn't really understand it, but why do the Gintama subs say that 'Kintoki' means 'balls' or 'golden balls'?**

**I had a brain fart again, and for some reason, I'm really tired this week, so I didn't write a new ch. **

**sorry guys.**


	17. Randomness

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for thinking/inner voices (including Kurama)

* * *

It was a pleasant day today. Miroku had recovered nicely, but there was some snickering among the Shikon group as they continued their journey. Once in awhile, the companions would stall the others in favor of laughing their ass off, setting the animals to flee from the area. But right now, those who had the giggles were able to stave off their need to guffaw, so everyone resumed their walk across the forest.

However, one particular monk broke the quiet by asking his friends with a whimper, "Ano…could any of you help me wash off the drawings on my face?"

His friends halted in their steps and turned to face the distraught man. He had 'HENTAI' written on his forehead in big, bold letters; plus had various and random doodles all over the rest of his face. Naruto had somehow created a seal that would make the drawings animate, so when she and the rest of the group looked at Miroku, an ink version of a crudely-drawn Naraku was crawling up his left nostril. The guffaws broke out again, and the forest was, once again, subjected to the noisy instance of laughter.

"Serves…you right... You're too…lecherous for your own…good, Miroku," Inuyasha bit out in between peals of mirth. It had been entertaining to exact 'divine retribution', to say the least. But the hanyou had mainly participated because he was annoyed by Miroku's quacky and useless advices.

Taken aback by the insult, the monk disagreed dramatically, "What are you saying, my friend? Have you not dreamt of a lovely maden- no, goddess- to woo? Blasphemy! A female possessing such heavenly beauty MUST be appreciated! It'd be a sin to ignore such god-given splendor!"

"In other words, any decent and 'of age' women," Naruto pointed out mockingly. 'My God; even Ero-sennin hadn't been this bad,' she thought with a sigh, but then reflected for a moment, and negated that with a grimace, '...I take that back. Ero-sennin's been worse. I can't believe that super perv gave me the birds and bees talk FIVE times in a row.'

Horrified, Miroku scrambled over to take the blonde's hands into his own. "My fair lady, why do you exempt yourself from that group? Do you feel unacknowledged? If so, do not fear, for I shall adore you like a deity."

With a deadpan expression, Sango answered for the shinobi, "That's not it. It's just that she doesn't want to be _near_ anywhere in your fantasies."

*SLAP*

"Gah!" the pervert yelped in mild pain.

The Shikon gang started to travel again, but Miroku was left at the rear with Shippou. The fox kit attempted to comfort the man and said, "Aw, cheer up. It was only a little fun. But I think Naruto said something about 'permanent' markers. Don't know if that helps any."

The pervert looked horrified and crestfallen at the same time. Clutching his head in his hands, he screeched, "This cannot be! Oh, the humility! The shame!"

"Oh shut up!" Naruto yelled irately from the front.

* * *

Night had arrived, and the group had camped out near some hot springs. After a decent supper of fish and soup, the females and Shippou decided to bathe together. Of course, Miroku was jealous of the little fox boy and horror-struck because the child didn't know how glorious that bathing privilege was. Naturally, Naruto placed some traps and seals around the springs, rather than just tying the monk to a tree. She felt that stunning tags and fear-inducing illusions would get the pervert screaming in no time. The blonde recalled having a blast in making her godfather watch elderly women and sumo wrestlers bathe for hours. Too bad she couldn't use Itachi's **Tsukiomi**. It would've been fun making the perverts relive their worst nightmares for over seventy-two hours.

Speaking of Miroku, Naruto's shinobi-senses told her that the man was currently approaching the bathing area, and just had triggered the illusion trap. 'Three, two, and one,' the blonde counted down with a grin.

"EEEYYYAAAAHHHH!"

Sango, Kirara, Kagome, and Shippou were startled by the sudden shriek; but one look at Naruto's sadistic grin made them settle down. It also scared the crap out of them when the blonde began giggling like an uncontrollable drunk.

'She's gone crazy-mode again!' Shippou whimpered in fright. He hid behind a boulder, cowering with a shudder.

The screams and pleas for mercy raged all night long, and Inuyasha was a little wee-close to eternally silencing the monk.

* * *

*BOOM*

Sweat rolled down Kagome's cheeks as she observed the destruction and chaos before her. The day after the hot spring fiasco, her group had brought a boy and his grandfather back to their village when Inuyasha had smelt blood in the air. Naturally, the group's saving-people thing kicked in, and they went to find out what was going on.

A group of bandits had raided the small village; and were about to take the young village women away, until Inuyasha interfered with his Tetsusaiga. However, the leader of the bandits revealed himself to be a demon, so the dog-boy got himself stuck in a fight. Then, the most frightening happened.

For some reason or another, the demon decided to throw one of the village women at Inuyasha, in order to poison the hanyou. The dog-boy bounced back from the cheap shot, but the enemy figured that Inuyasha would be kept busy by this weakness; thus using another maiden as a shield. Naturally, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou turned their eyes to Naruto; who predictably was wearing her infamous scary-smile. They also swore that some kind of snapping sound came from the shinobi's direction, but weren't really sure if that actually happened.

Inuyasha also felt the boiling anger coming from Naruto, and hastily scampered back towards his friends. Jesus; it was like Juuromaru and Kageroumaru all over again! He'd go deaf by the time he would go kill Naraku!

Of course, the bandit demon was baffled by the hanyou's sudden retreat, but smirked, thinking that the dog-boy was finally admitting to being a weakling.

Alas, Naruto stepped forward, directing all of her killing intent at the demon. Stilling smiling that creepy smile, the blonde told her new victim, in a strained way, "You…you fuckin' son of a bitch. I'm going to enjoy breaking all of your fuckin' bones."

From behind a house, Miroku had his hands together in a form of prayer, and frantically pleaded with his gods to save him…AGAIN. Thankfully, Kagome had the thought to go buy some earplugs, which she gave to those with sensitive hearing; and had given earmuffs to those with normal hearing. Despite those protections, Inuyasha and Shippou huddled in a corner, clutching their ears with pale hands. Lastly, Sango and Kirara had rescued the surviving villagers and brought them over to her friends' side, hoping they'd all get to safety before the storm hit.

*BOOM*

Debris and chunks of rocks flew up in all directions as clouds of tainted dust shrouded the sky; villagers and remaining bandits alive screaming and shrieking in fright. Bullets of sweat ran down Miroku's face as he tried to block out the noises from beyond the 'barricade', now clutching onto his staff like a lifeline. He was also trying to block out the gruesome amount of profanity that would surely accompany the chaos on the other side.

Naruto's screeches echoed everywhere, "You mother fucker! I'm going to **** and torture you with ****! You son of a bitch! You're never going to get a chance to reproduce after this, you bloody *****!"

An foreboding reply came in the form of a loud, "AAGGGGHHH!"

*SCREECH*

A powerful gust of wind began to rage around the area, and everyone had to hold onto something unmovable to not get blown away. Those who felt this unnatural gust before paled at the implications. Jumping to their feet, the Shikon group gathered the villagers and quickly ran for the village borders.

Kagome, who was strangely calm about this whole thing, commented with a resigned sigh, "Geh. I wish nee-chan would stop being so melodramatic. She's gunna kill someone someday."

Sango, who stood next to the younger teen, replied with an incredulous expression on her face, "And she's not killing someone _right now_?"

Kagome appeared to look thoughtful for a moment, and then a light bulb lit up from her eyes. "Oh! I guess this counts. I take back what I said, then."

*BOOM*

Watching the dust and chunks of earth flying everywhere, everyone saw how the small village that once was there became a huge crater.

"Oh shit. She just destroyed the villagers' homes. I don't think we have the money to compensate them," the semi-priestess gasped in horror.

A jingle from the teen's left let her know that Miroku was standing next to her. The monk sounded like he was going to keel over when he mumbled, "Naruto-sama…you may have saved the people's lives, but you've just created bigger problems."

* * *

From the center of mayhem, only one was left alive, and that was Naruto. The woman seemed to be casual about the whole situation, and contently stretched out the kinks in her body. Then a childish squeal came from above, "Naruto-neesama!"

Looking up, the shinobi saw little Rin waving from Ah-Un's back. "What the?" the blonde muttered under her breath. The only reason Rin and the dragon would come over is if Sesshoumaru was here. Knowing how much of a dick the daiyoukai was, he probably wanted to fight Inuyasha again. Sighing just like Kagome did earlier; Naruto welcomed the young child with a ruffle of hair, and made her way towards the surely-fighting brothers.

* * *

Our favorite ninja arrived at the destroyed village's edge, and apologized to the villagers for turning it into a gigantic hole. To make up for the damages, Naruto had her army of clones cover up the big hole by turning it into a giant lake, and start rebuilding the destroyed homes.

"First one hundred clones, use water jutsus to fill up the tank!" the original barked out. "The rest of you start construction!"

One clone seemed to look disgruntled and argued, "Just a hundred of us isn't going to fill the big, damn crater up!"

Dismissing the protest with a wave of her hand, the real Naruto replied, "Then just have another hundred of you work on it. You know how much chakra I can spare."

Another clone, who started cutting up trees to make foundations for new homes, commented tiredly, "By the way, why do you keep doing this to us, Boss? We all know that you can use less destructive jutsus on people. It would be less stressful for all of us if you'd stop abusing the powerful, vapo-ball of doom."

"But then it'd cramp my style!" the original complained childishly. Some of the clones snorted and rolled their eyes.

A different copy commented dully, "FYI, if it cramps your style, it'll cramp our style. But you don't see us complaining, do you?"

A vein throbbed dangerously on Boss's temple, so she yelled out in annoyance, "GET TO WORK!" With a mass of grumbling copies, the sea of blonde women scattered about.

Of course, no one should forget about the villagers either. The peasants almost had heart attacks when the copies made their appearance, but warily accepted the assistance. Naruto was also miffed because Kagome was chewing her out for the unnecessary display of power, and because Miroku was feeling up the young village women. Sango looked like she was about to knock the monk out, again. Plus, like all of the other occasions, Shippou stayed away from the blonde as much as he could, using Kirara as a shield; since Inuyasha was busy with Sesshoumaru.

"Oh no," Kagome moaned in dread.

Naruto felt the change in Inuyasha's blood again, and turned to see that Sesshoumaru had disarmed his half-brother a few minutes ago. But looking at the state of things, the blonde felt a little confused. No matter what Inuyasha did, the daiyoukai would beat him to the ground, but not actually kill the hanyou. It was strange that Sesshoumaru didn't swiftly kill the dog-boy like he always tried to do before.

*THUD*

"And KO," the shinobi muttered with rolled eyes. Seriously, couldn't the siblings hold a civil conversation with each other, for once?

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, running to assist her fallen companion. The rest of the gang followed at a much slower pace, wary of Sesshoumaru's real motives.

Humming thoughtfully, Naruto went up to the daiyoukai and asked, "I'm curious. What's going on in that big head of yours? You and I both know that you could've easily killed Inuyasha if you truly desired it."

"Hn. I will exterminate him eventually. But at the moment, for someone who doesn't realize anything at all, his death has no value," came the callous response and sharp glance. The demon swiftly turned away and started to walk into the forest ahead. With a cheery good-bye, Rin and her dragon followed their alpha.

"Ugh... He's so…gah!" Naruto grumbled in slight frustration. Shippou and Miroku inched away from her fluctuating presence, shuddering as they watched the psycho make strangling gestures with her hands.

* * *

A few days later, a somewhat depressed Inuyasha and his friends relaxed by a calm river. Kagome stayed with the hanyou as a sense of comfort while Miroku and Sango went to refill their water supply.

With Naruto, the blonde was currently sitting on a huge boulder, with a twenty-first-century fishing pole in her hands. She had casted her bait out twenty minutes ago, but no meaty fishes tugged on it. Shippou, for some reason, had the courage to accompany her, making mini-whirlpools in the water with his fingers, as he lied on his stomach.

Then the fox kit broke the silence. "Hey Naruto, I've always wondered for a long time, but just _how _do you keep doing all those crazy things you do? And stop saying 'it's a trade secret'."

"It _is _a trade secret," the blonde replied with a yawn. Damn fishes just wouldn't bite!

Wrinkling his nose, unsatisfied, the child protested, "Aw, come on! Tell me, please! I won't tell anyone else; even Kagome!" giving her the puppy-eyes.

Even though she was amused by his ironic words, Naruto gave him a deadpan expression and responded dully, "That won't work on me. A lil' brat I know made me immune to it." An image of a goofily-smiling Konohamaru popped into her head. 'That brat... He still owes me money for the new scarf I had to buy for him,' Naruto grumbled inwardly.

Abruptly, Shippou's pleading face was shoved right in front of her eyes as he climbed up to lie on her head. "Please! I won't bother you no more if you tell me! I won't tell Baka-yasha either!"

With a sigh, Naruto gently removed him from her head and said, "It's 'I won't bother you _anymore_.' And no, I'm not gunna tell you."

Once he was back on his two little feet, the fox child continued to plead, wheedle, bribe, bother, and irritate the shinobi until she finally gave in.

"So... How do you make things just pop out of nowhere?" was Shippou's first question. After awhile, Naruto had given up on the fishing pole and switched to shinobi-style fishing. As she scanned the river for fat catfish and salmon, the blonde stood still in calf-deep water, just waiting for her first victim of many.

"They don't just pop out of nowhere. I put them in seals, where there are dimensions, or 'spaces', I can keep stuff in. It's kind of complicated, but for you, you just have to know that I 'store' items into seals like you do with your cursed statue-thingies," the woman tried to explain while multitasking.

Shippou frowned, but plowed on. "Then…why do you smell like a fox? You're human, but you reek of fox."

Naruto blinked in surprise, but smiled amusedly. "I have a fox sealed in my tummy."

The fox kit's eyes bulged like a frog's, and his mouth was agape in wonder. "Really!"

"Uh-huh," came the intelligent response.

Bouncing on his toes like a young Konohamaru used to do, Shippou implored excitedly, "Oooh! Can I see it? How big is it? What is it anyway, a girl or boy? Why's he stuck in your tummy? How long have you had it? What's its name?"

'How about it, Kurama? May I tell him _all _about you?' Naruto chuckled in her head.

A short growl replied, 'No.'

Looking down at the hyper demon, the blonde conveyed, "He said he doesn't want to. Besides, he can't really come out of the seal…yet." The last word was muttered lowly with a subtle longing.

Shippou frowned and pouted. "Aw~. Darn."

"But I can tell some stuff about him if you want," Naruto suggested with a slight grin. Kurama really needed to chill sometimes.

"Yes please!" the fox kit chirped with a smile.

Taking a break from fishing duty, the woman sat down on the grassy shore and said, "Hmm... I guess I can tell you that the fox's name is Kurama, and I've had him since I was born."

"Eh? Why though?"

Naruto's eyes dulled with a glint of sadness. "A bad man wanted to take Kurama away. Kurama's really big and strong, and any power-hungry man would take the chance to use him. The bad man made Kurama attack my village, and my dad had no choice but to seal it inside me. The fox's been with me ever since."

The child could sense that this was a touchy subject for the woman, so he changed the subject and asked, "How do you do all those attacks and stuff anyway? I'm sure no humans can walk on trees or on water."

"Chakra. It's kinda like youki or miko ki. But I think only I have it though," Naruto replied vaguely. She could tell that Shippou was trying to steer the topic away, and silently thanked him for it, no matter how poor of an attempt it was. She also wondered how many more questions he'd inquire before losing interest. Good lord; Konohamaru Corps. weren't this bad before, were they?

*SMACK*

The shinobi scowled when a salmon she caught tried to wriggle away, thus hitting her with its tail. Shippou laughed at her predicament, running back to their companions with a spring in his steps.

Oh yes, it was a truly, _marvelous_ day today, the blonde griped.

* * *

By the time Inuyasha was somewhat mollified, Naruto was dying from sheer boredom. Kagome had volunteered to cook the fish her sister had caught, so the elder was left to her own devices. At the moment, the blonde was playing with her long hair, contemplating as to whether she should cut it short, keep it long, or tying it up. Using the river as a mirror, Naruto used her hands as makeshift hair ties; clamping her locks into pigtails, pony tail, and back.

"Nee-chan, what are you doing?" Kagome asked with a sweatdrop. Since her sister's back was facing the younger girl, Kagome thought Naruto was making funny faces at the critters in the water. Though, the teen couldn't understand why her sister would want to do such a thing, but hey, the blonde's always been a nutcase.

"Hm? I'm just thinking which would look better on me: pigtails, pony tail, or cut short," Naruto answered absentmindedly. Scrutinizing her reflection in the water, the blonde grinned and nodded resolutely with satisfaction. 'I've decided!' she cheered in her head.

Within the recess of her mind, an echoing snort was heard, and a short grumbling of "females."

Confused, Kagome inquired curiously, "Why are you worrying about it now? I'm sure you would've noticed your hair growing past your back a few months ago." 'Beside, her hair's too pretty to be cut,' the teen thought inwardly. The girl had always been envious of her older sister's natural locks, since it seemed to be forever sparkling and straight unlike her dark mane.

Turning around from where she sat, Naruto's grin widened and her eyes glittered as she said, "Details, details. Why fret about that now? Besides, I've made up my mind just now."

"Okay?" Kagome mumbled, uncertain as to whether this matter was worth remembering.

"Yup!" the blonde chirped, standing up to dust the dirt from her bottom, "I'm gunna cut it!"

"NO WAY!" several voiced chorused loudly. The rest of the Shikon group had sat down around the fire, patiently waiting for the food to cook, and was appalled by the woman's decision.

Pouting, Naruto stomped her foot on the ground immaturely and protested, "Why not! It's my hair!"

Miroku was the most adamant of them all, arguing and wailing. "Naruto-sama, how could you say such blasphemy! A woman's hair isn't something that should be cut and thrown away! It represents beauty, grace, and maturity! It's an insult to maidens everywhere, should you cut it away! Naruto-sama, despite your ethereal beauty, I must beg of you, do not cast your precious locks aside!" He was practically crawling and clinging onto Naruto as he 'preached'.

"Get off me, you idiot!" the shinobi snapped, struggling to dislodge the monk from her legs.

Sango, who just watched from the sidelines, chipped in unhelpfully, "I'm sorry to say this, but the monk is right, Naruto-san. Please don't take it the wrong way, but I find it odd that you'd want to cut your stunning tresses."

Kagome, trying to placate everyone, explained indecisively, "In our time, it's common for everyone, whether you're a male or female, to have their hair short. People get theirs trimmed all the time; there's jobs where you can professionally become a styling or trimming specialist."

Hearing this, Miroku was absolutely, positively, very shocked. Women cut their hair, ALL THE TIME! Why would any maiden wish to look like a man? Just where did the world go wrong!

*SLAP*

"Gah!" the monk yelped, letting go of the blonde to massage his stinging cheek. 'Though, it was worth the pain,' he thought dreamily.

Growling like an animal, Naruto snarled with red-tinted eyes, "Just _where _the hell did you think you were touching, Ero-houshi?"

Backing away slowing, Miroku nervously answered, "Now, now, Naruto-sama. Let's not be hasty." That did nothing to make her back off, so the monk blurted frantically, "It was an accident! I have cursed hands, I tell you! Punish the one who placed the curse on me rather than releasing your anger on this poor, innocent mortal!"

Smiling her scary-smile, Naruto's hands twitched for a kunai as she gritted her teeth together. "Too bad for you, the one who corrupted your 'hands' isn't here. So I guess you'll have to endure the consequences in that individual' stead." Her shoulders tensed as she prepared to beat the hell out of the lecherous man.

Eyes wide in fear, Miroku screamed, "NNNOOOOO!"

* * *

In another area, upon the high grounds and treacherous wind, stood a Naruto-lookalike, shivering and sneezing from time to time. "Goddamn Boss to hell. Why do I have to be the one to do this crap?" the copy muttered with a glare.

Earlier that day, Naruto had the notion that Mama shouldn't have to be stressed out because of the odd predicament her daughters were in, so the blonde thought that she could find something valuable in the Feudal Era to exchange for cash in the modern era. The shinobi had quit the part-time jobs she used to do, believing it'd be more interesting and time-worthy to stick with her sister. It was a small mistake on Naruto's part, since she almost forgot that Mama was a single mother caring for a dying shrine and four other people. As a result, the blonde had been determined to find something in the mountains that would make her surrogate mother's life a little easier.

**Kagebunshin** was a great technique to abuse in this type of situation, since once a clone discovered a potential 'gold mine'; it could dispel and relay that to the original. Plus, Naruto would be allowed to multitask efficiently. And as the hours passed, the only clone that seemed to have been on a decent trail was this one. However, in the quest to find riches, it appeared that any visitor would have to deal with freezing temperatures and unrelenting wind. The latter, Naruto, clone or not, could deal with; but she really didn't like winter weather.

"Achoo!" the copy sneezed, sniffling as a strand of snot attempted to dribble down her nose. "That's it! I'm outta here!" she growled, and popped out of existence.

* * *

Real-Naruto went still as new memories entered her head. In response, she shivered with her arms hugging herself, and sneezed violently.

"What's wrong, Naruto-nee?" Kagome asked with a worried frown.

Rubbing a finger against her nose, the blonde answered wearily, "Nothing… Just felt a chill."

A bloody and bruised Miroku perked up at this piece of news, and smiled wide as he said, "Ara, are you getting sick, Naruto-sama? If you are, I believe I should have you kept safe in my arms; you might have to be kept warm after all."

Glaring at him, Naruto sneered, "Nice try, Ero-houshi, but I'd rather die than let you touch me."

Looking genuinely crestfallen, the monk sobbed, "So cruel..."

Everyone else just rolled their eyes at his behavior.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update. I had a small writer's block and was enjoying the start of my Thanksgiving Break.**

**And my cold may, or may not, have affected the way this chapter was written.**


	18. Reactions and Anniversary

"Hey" for speaking

'Hey' for Naruto talking to Kurama/thinking

* * *

Naruto skipped and hummed happily as she made her way towards Kaede's village. The blonde had left for the modern times a day ago, and truly did cut her hair. Her shiny, fair locks were now up to her shoulders and layered enough to keep her head light. Even though getting a haircut didn't take a day, Naruto had been annoyed enough to stay with the Higurashi family for the rest of the day before. On the day she had left for the well, her sister and their friends decided to stay at Kaede's while they had a break, with Miroku wailing and clinging to her legs all the way. And being the jerks they were, their friends wouldn't help the blonde get rid of the blubbering monk.

Now, embracing her happy mood, she whistled a jaunty tone as she passed through the busier sect of the village. Of course, many of the villagers began to whisper, stare, expressed looks of horror, looks of curiosity, and the whole ridiculous feeling of pity; but it was nerve wrecking in an irritating way. It was just HAIR, for God's sake! No need for the insane drama, people! Naruto, being the person she was, ignored those reactions with a smile; pretending that they were only acting this way because she wore blue jeans, shinobi sandals, a camouflage t-shirt, her shinobi equipment, and a pair of sunglasses on the top of her head.

Eventually, she had been annoyed enough to **shunshin** the rest of the journey to Kaede's hut. "I'm back!" Naruto hollered happily, lifting the straw screen with a hand.

*thud*

Blinking confusedly, the blonde turned to see the old granny, Miroku, Inuyasha, Sango, and Shippou staring at her head with wide eyes and mouths gaping open. Put out by their reactions also, Naruto snapped, "What!"

Jumping in surprise, the others regained their composures. Kaede seemed to be stunned by the rumored change, but accepted it as some kind of future custom. Coughing into a fist to ease the tension, the elder said, "They told me about your…trim. I thought it was an odd thing of you, because of this era's ways. But it looks nice, Naruto."

Grinning like a loon, the blonde responded with a chirp, "It does, doesn't it."

Immediately after, Miroku began wailing and clung onto the blonde. "Naruto-sama! How could you! Your beautiful locks, they're GONE!" Kagome went over to try and pry the monk away, but leaped away with a yelp when a wandering hand caressed her backside.

*BAM*

Naruto kicked Miroku in the face, squishing his nose every other second.

However, that only encouraged the pervert, seeing as he spoke with a broken leer, "N-Nice angle."

"Ero-houshi," Naruto hissed with a red glint in her eyes. She callously grabbed Miroku's head with a free hand and punched him in the face with the other. Everyone else winced when they heard bone cracking.

* * *

A few days later, the Shikon group was traveling in a random direction, searching for clues on Naraku's whereabouts. Much to Naruto's annoyance, the asshole had hidden his tracks well enough to thwart her better methods of tracking, so all she could do was travel with her sister.

As the sun crept up to quite a sunny disposition, Naruto stiffly halted in her steps, nose twitching as she picked up a familiar scent. Inuyasha had smelt it also, resulting in a growl and flexing of claws. Everyone else was confused by the random pause, but cringed when they noticed a familiar tornado making its way over them.

A few seconds later, Kouga had arrived with Kagome's hands in his grasp, making her sister glare at him with a leak of killing intent.

"My woman!" the wolf demon cried excitedly. "I hope that mangy mutt's been taking good care of you."

Kagome lamely smiled and gently tried to pull her hands away. "Ah-ha-ha... I-It's nice to see you Kouga-kun."

Inuyasha was about to karate chop the two's linked hands when two more voices yelled exasperatedly, "Kouga! You should've waited for us!"

Everyone turned to see Ginta and Hakkaku desperately running over with several wolves following behind. By the time they all got to the group, the troop of wolf demons were exhausted beyond belief.

"Oi, buck up. Don't be such wimps," Kouga told him friends, still not letting go of Kagome's hands.

"E-Easy for you to say," Hakkaku croaked as he gasped for air. Ginta, on the other hand, stood quietly next to his companion, staring at Naruto with a gobsmacked expression on his face.

Grunting irately, Naruto growled, "That look... What! Am I not allowed to cut my own hair! It's mine to deal with!"

Ginta raised his hands, palms out, in surrender, trying to wave the issue away. Kouga and Hakkaku finally noticed the new hairstyle, and both had pitying looks on their features. Hakkaku had been brave enough to sympathetically pat Naruto on the shoulder. "I'm sorry for whatever trouble you've been through, but don't give up! You'll find the right guy someday," he said, thinking that Naruto went ballistic from a bad romance.

Everyone from the Shikon group blinked, though Naruto was more confused than the rest of them. "What the hell are you talking about?" It didn't help that Kagome started laughing at the hilarity of the situation, followed by the muffled guffaws from the rest of their friends. The younger Higurashi knew that Naruto had no boyfriends since her appearance in this world, and only trimmed her locks because it was an inconvenience in her fights. Truthfully, the blonde's reasons for throwing away her 'feminine pride' were not related to anything romantic in any way, shape, or form at all. Naruto could possibly the most _unfeminine _woman they all could know!

Hakkaku also blinked perplexedly, and asked hesitantly, "Didn't you chop off your hair from a bad break up? There's no other reason why a beauty like you would cut off your strands." He couldn't understand what was so funny about this that the blonde's own friends and _sister_ would laugh at her misfortune.

Inuyasha managed to speak in between hysterics, "Hahaha! Oh God... Naruto didn't cut off...her hair for that... She did it...because it was getting...in the way...of her fights!" The hanyou was practically dying from never-ending bouts of laughter.

Shippou chipped in as well with a snigger. "Yeah, yeah! Naruto's too much of a MAN to get any guys anyways!" Inuyasha abruptly halted in his fit and paled a very light color. Everyone else- minus Kagome- who knew of Naruto's ogre-ish temper did too, and steadily backed away from Shippou.

Kagome turned to glare at her scarily-smiling sister, hands on hips, and hissed warningly, "Nee-chan!"

The blonde ignored it and replied in a strained way, "Hoh?" She started walking towards the unsuspecting fox brat, who seemed to think that he did a job well done. Her knuckles cracked threateningly from her side, and a thrum of chakra coated her forming fists. Those with primitive instincts flattened their ears, whimpered, or stood down; except for the obnoxious Kouga, who watched the following with interest.

Finally realizing the mistake he made, Shippou stopped smiling and whipped his head around to see Naruto marching towards his from behind. Paling and sweating bullets, he stuttered, "W-Wait a sec! I-I didn't mean it in a-a bad way! H-H-Honest!"

Still 'smiling,' Naruto responded with a read glint in her eyes, "I don't think you mean _that_, brat."

Shippou squeaked and attempted to run away, but the blonde had grabbed the back of his collar with a swift hand. Lifting him up to eye level with her, Naruto readied a fist to punch the demonic troublemaker to kingdom-come, and mocked the struggling child. "Tsk. Tsk. Didn't your parents ever tell you to listen to your betters?"

"Ah, no! Save me Kagome!" the fox kit shrieked in a frightened tone, trying to shake his captor's hand off of him.

"Nee-chan!" Kagome shouted, angrily stomping her way over to the violent sister.

"Leave 'er alone, 'Gome. The brat deserves a good hit," Inuyasha called from the side.

Enraged, the girl turned and shrieked, "SIT BOY!"

*BOOM*

Kagome huffed and continued her attempt to save Shippou. Inuyasha groaned in his self-made hole, twitching in pain when he tried to move.

Miroku crouched down by his side and whispered conspiringly, "Inuyasha, you never contradict an angry female; it's bad for you."

Kouga crouched down by Inuyasha's other side and added in his two cents, "Mutt Face, you never cease to amaze me with your stupidity."

"Shut up," came the muffle reply.

"WWWAAAAHHH! She's gunna hit me!" Shippou wailed from a few feet away.

*BONK*  
The youngster yelped and ripped himself away from Naruto's grasp, rubbing his bruised noggin with careful fingers.

"Nee-chan, I can't believe you hit a kid! I _get_ Souta, but not Shippou!" Kagome yelled into her nonchalant sister's ear.

Naruto scowled and 'hmphed,' turning her head away like a petulant child. "He deserved it," she grumbled nastily. The blonde noticed Shippou sticking his tongue out at her and glared at him with all her might. He immediately squeaked and ran behind Kagome.

"Coward," Naruto sniffed irritably.

* * *

A day later, during one fine afternoon, Jaken was found, picking on Rin...again. Of course, the child never listened to his words, and continued to pick wildflowers from a nearby meadow.

Just as the deformed toad was about to say another snarky word, he felt an ominous shiver wrack his spine. 'I feel...malicious intent,' he thought with a nervous tremble.

"Rin-chan~!" exclaimed a familiar female's voice.

Jaken immediately jumped in fright, shrieking in his mind, 'IT appeared!'

Rin, however, perked up at the new voice, and whirled around to see her precious Naruto-neesama waving from a short distance away.

"Whoa!" the blonde went; when Ah-Un decided to lightly head butt her in greeting. They liked the female; she gave them odd, delicious treats *cough*snake biscuits*cough*. Though, the dragon noticed something different about her today.

"I'm not going to give you snacks today. You two ate too much last time," Naruto chuckled. Ah-Un's head hung unhappily, disappointed that there would be no treats.

Squealing joyfully, Rin ran over to tackle her beloved, short-haired, powerful, and...wait. SHORT-HAIRED? Rin abruptly halted her actions, staring at Naruto with wide eyes and gaping with her mouth open.

Naruto quirked a brow. "What's wrong, Rin?"

Then Rin screamed, loud enough to startle birds into flight, and pointed at Naruto with a shaky finger. "N-Naruto-oneesama," the girl squeaked, "Your _hair_! Your beautiful, _long_, sparkly hair! What happened!" The child wailed hysterically while fretting of the stunned and exasperated woman.

However, before Naruto could calm the distraught girl, someone else arrived to the meadow. Jaken noticed the new arrival, so he screamed at Rin, "Rin, you troublesome mortal, stop that incessant screeching this instant! Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't need anymore hea-umph!" Fortunately, the imp's master stepped on the annoying retainer, uncaring what the green thing might've broken.

"Rin, what is it?" Sesshoumaru inquired dismally. Then he blinked, and just stared at Naruto, making the woman fidget under his intense and _un_blinking gaze.

Rin, oblivious of her lord's awareness, rambled uncomprehendingly, "Naruto-neesama'sprettty prettyhair! It'sallgone!" exaggerating the dilemma with wind milling arms.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru's sharp tone interrupted, "Take Ah-Un and follow Jaken to the river nearby." He shortly glanced at his charge, illustrating how serious he was.

The child immediately stopped her antics and grinned. "Hai~!" She obeyed her beloved Sesshoumaru-sama to the letter.

Once she was out of earshot, Naruto muttered, "I wish Souta and Konohamaru would be that obedient. Stupid boys."

The daiyoukai in front of her raised a brow in slight amusement. At the same time, he assessed the woman, noticng HOW much shorter her tresses had become. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to think of the reason why it was so. No sane female would cast aside their locks so carelessly. "Who did it?" Sesshoumaru kind of demanded with a growl. Naruto was taken aback by his aggressiveness just as he was. The demon couldn't imagine why he felt this…new need for vengeance; it made no sense at all.

In the end, Naruto just rolled her eyes at his...question? "Does it matter?"

Suddenly, a quick breeze fluttered her way; and her eyes widened when Sesshoumaru appeared a few inches in front of her face, delicately caressing her condensed tresses. The blonde swore his eyes bled a little red when he examined her hair. And was he growling?

"It matters," the daiyoukai dangerously purred, still 'playing' with her locks. He may not be fond of humans, but as Naruto was someone he almost considered his equal, he felt like he had the right to be concerned about the outlandish female's state of affairs. There was also the problem that the woman herself was too dense to see the effect this 'proclamation of status' would have on this era. His eyes bled even more red as he noticed the peculiar way the blonde's hair was trimmed. She should not have to live with such disgrace upon her person; any powerful being possessing an open mind should be well-respected and cared for. Although, the possibility that it may have been a quirk from her world floated in the back of his _rational_ mind.

Huffing with her head turned to the side- there, Sesshoumaru suddenly discovered how _appealing_ her collarbone was- Naruto said, "I've got myself a little _trim_ because it was getting too long. Happy?" She scowled, irritated at this era's weird customs about HAIR, of all things. Though, she was sure that some of the princesses at home did the same thing.

"Hn," Sesshoumaru grunted quietly, not quite paying attention as he was somewhat occupied with something else. Did Naruto always smell this sweet, or was it something uncommon? He also noticed how the female _unintentionally_ bared her neck to him. Despite her incomplete knowledge of demonic customs, to his inner beast, this act of submissiveness from a powerful female was..._pleasing_, so say the least.

In Naruto's mind, Kurama watched of this with knowing eyes, but didn't bother to help his host out. Being cramped in that _sewer_ for over sixteen years gave him enough ammunition for payback. Two years of being freed of that dank place did NOT make up for those bleak times. Besides, it was the best entertainment at the moment.

With Naruto, her sharp gaze saw that Sesshoumaru wasn't paying attention to her _words._ No, for some reason, he was more into staring at her neck while playing with her hair. Odd. Was he sick or something? The blonde was even more surprised when his lone hand wrapped around her waist to make her stumble into his armored chest. She was too stunned and confused to do anything. Her eyes also went bug-eyed when she felt a pointy nose touch the side of her neck, and unconsciously shivered at the cold feeling. Naruto also felt a wet appendage- most likely a tongue- skimmed across her neck to her collarbone. Unused to such contact, the blonde squirmed and slightly 'eeped' at the odd experience. Sesshoumaru seemed amused by it, if vibrations along her neck were any indication.

Then, Naruto uncharacteristically moaned quietly when the male started to drop light kisses along her neck to her exposed shoulder. It was all too fast to feel this way, but there was this strange attraction, or pull, that just made her so…sensitive right now. She was hypnotized by the foreign…energy that seemed to run through her veins, and just wanted _more_. The woman also felt overwhelmingly hot and bothered, and her breathing became a bit uneven.

In response, Sesshoumaru growled lowly against her neck, pleased by her reaction to his ministrations. His eyes were starting to become a little pink, indicating that his inner beast was starting to take over. The daiyoukai just couldn't resist Naruto's 'taste' and scent; it was some sort of aphrodisiac, and Sesshoumaru slowly surrendered to the idea that he enjoyed it. He slightly sucked on the skin at the junction between her neck and shoulder, feeling the need to mark the female's skin. 'Mine,' his inner beast purred. Sesshoumaru's acute hearing picked up Naruto's ragged breathing and inwardly smirked.

"Sesshoumaru," the blonde breathed with dazed eyes. Somehow, her hands ended up roaming the demon's chest, shoulders, and long locks. It just felt damn good to ignore, and she needed to do _something _to stay upright.

Sesshoumaru immediately stopped what he was doing, much to the 'drugged' Naruto's dismay, when he felt hands caressing his ears. His eyes shut closed with a strained hiss from his lips, and pressed his mouth against the woman's collarbone as she worked her magic on his weak spot. Damn, this female would be the death of him, Sesshoumaru groaned. Then, unexpectedly, he heard Naruto whimpering like a needy bitch, and felt her tugging on his hair. Baring fangs and eyes red, he went back to pleasuring the woman in front of him. Who was he to deny a willing female; especially an exquisite and powerful one at that?

But then, Sesshoumaru stopped again, so Naruto tugged on his locks in frustration, 'Why'd he stop, damn it!' Her ears picked up a subtle chuckle. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that the white of Sesshoumaru's eyes were completely red. For some reason, the sight of his smoldering gaze made her feel a warm fire spreading throughout her body. She whimpered desperately again, and felt the hand around her waist crawl up sensually to caress her whiskered cheek. With a slight turn of head, demanding lips descended upon her own inexperienced ones. Good Lord, he'd be the death of her, she thought. Sesshoumaru was too good at this that it should be a sin. Instead of Aristocratic Assassin, his name should be Aristocratic Playboy.

The daiyoukai's tongue delved out to pry Naruto's lips apart, and was pleased that she did as he wished. Despite her insecurities and inexperience, the blonde was able to learn quickly in the art of pleasure. Sesshoumaru's inner beast purred in content, but all parties knew they wanted more than this. Naruto moaned when she felt the devil's hand wander over to massage one of her full breasts, and a warm pool of heat flooded through her.

Alas, an eerie chuckle broke the two's intimacy. There was also the stench of gore, miasma, and deceit that screamed 'Naraku'.

Growling in annoyance, Sesshoumaru gave Naruto a final, chaste kiss and squeeze of her breast, making her groan with want. Somehow, the two were able to step away from each other a civil distance; and as the seconds pass, the attraction between the two turned off like a light.

The now rational Sesshoumaru and Naruto were both mortified by what they had done; the first wishing to kill himself, while the other turned red as a tomato. The daiyoukai broke his vow to never attempt intimacy upon a mortal female, and the blonde had almost broken her vow to never do _that _while in this world.

Chuckling mockingly, a familiar face hovered in the air. "Ara, I didn't expect either of you two to be so _in touch _with each other," Naraku sneered. Then, he blinked, noticing Naruto's new haircut.

The blonde growled impressively when the disgusting hanyou got close enough to kiss a strand of her hair, speaking with a smirk, "It seems that you've encountered a _tragedy_, Naruto dear. I'm always open for a rebound."

Sesshoumaru's eyes unconsciously glowed red. Naruto hissed like an angry cat, and poised a hand to strike Naraku's head. Unfortunately, it was a puppet, which continued to laugh mockingly as it disintegrated.

After the puppet was completely gone, Sesshoumaru and Naruto were slient, both equally uncomfortable with what happened earlier.

Finally, the blonde had moved first. "So...I guess it wasn't a good time to stop by, huh?"

Reverting to his calm façade, the demon quirked a questioning brow her way.

Turning an embarrassing pink, Naruto tried to convey with a stutter, "I-I mean...you know... Aren't you in h-h-_heat_?"

Sesshoumaru gave her a deadpanned look. Was she stupid?

Acting like Hinata, the blonde twiddled with her thumbs and said, "I-I mean! Why else would y-you do t-t-_that_!" She articulated 'that' with a wave of her hand and continued, "It's either you're in heat, or you're just ill! From what I know about you, you wouldn't do something that...that," she struggled for the right word, "_intimate_!" she finished lamely.

Sesshoumaru's brow twitched with annoyance. How dare she claim him unwell, or in heat!

Noticing this, Naruto 'eeped' and ran away from the meadow, shouting, "Forget it!"

The daiyoukai left behind rolled his eyes at the woman's behavior, and turned away to collect his charge.

Both adults would lock this humiliating memory within the deepest, darkest vault of their minds. If they could help it, they would absolutely LOVE to not relive this again.

Meanwhile, Naruto had to endure the thought of Kurama cackling with glee at the whole thing, tails swishing in joy.

* * *

A day later, Naruto had gone back to her sister and friends, and found Inuyasha arguing with Kagome again.

"We don't have time to dawdle around! We have to go get the shards!" the dog-boy yelled, trying to stop Kagome from packing her things.

Stomping away with a huff, Kagome shouted back, "I don't care, Inuyasha! I have a life at home, too! I'm still in school, and I've missed too much! I have so many tests and work to make up, so don't stop me!"

Everyone else from the Shikon group hung back, watching this scene with bored looks on their faces.

Eventually, Naruto was getting a headache, so she smacked Kagome and Inuyasha's heads together. They two injured people yelped in pain and rubbed their temples to soothe the throbbing.

"Enough already! Inuyasha, Naraku's not going to come out any time soon, so shut up! Kagome...I really don't know what to say, except I pity you for all the work you're going to have to do once we go home," Naruto said with a frown.

The bickering duo were about to go at it again, but the blonde interrupted them with a hiss and red eyes, "Don't _make_ me stick you two together like last time. I've got my brush and ink, and I'm NOT afraid to use it!"

Inuyasha and Kagome paled, but glared at each other. "Hmph!" they both went, turning away from the other.

* * *

The first thing Naruto did the moment she got home was taking a long bath, and sleeping for four hours. Then, she got up and dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans, telling her adoptive family she'd be gone all day.

Now, she was sitting at a western café's veranda, eating cakes as she chatted about recent events with Present-Shippou. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, the fox demon commented nostalgically, "Heh. I remember that day rather clearly. Who in their right mind would cut a woman's hair so peculiarly? You may have not been my favorite person, but even I knew how serious something like that was."

Naruto snorted as she bit into a white frosting cake. "You were such a brat back then. I gave you a really, bloody dump for that, too."

Shippou winced at that memory, and gingerly rubbed the top of his noggin to soothe the imaginary pain. "You she-demon," he mumbled with a grimace.

"Whatever," the blonde said, rolling her eyes.

After a moment of silence, Naruto couldn't take it anymore, and bit her fork in annoyance. "Shippou, old boy, can't you do something about _that_?" She waved a hand in the direction of the other patrons of the café, 'coincidentally' all were females. The flying hearts and whispers were grating the blonde's fan girl senses to insanity, and she'd very much like it if they disappeared.

Haughtily smirking as he leaned back on his chair, Shippou winked at the admirers. True to art form, the buffaloes- in Naruto's mind- squealed and gossiped like a bunch of hens.

"Stupid gigolo," Naruto murmured with a scoff. She grimaced when her sharp ears picked up on the high pitched squeals, sighs, and etcetera.

Smiling foxily her way, Shippou denied nothing. "Nonsense. I pride myself in being much more than a mere playboy."

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Naruto kicked him under the table and said, "I swear, Miroku's corrupted you badly. You're like a second Ero-houshi already."

Looking offended, Shippou responded defensively, "Hey, don't compare me to that idiot! I'm better than that perverted monk!"

Naruto gave him a look that spoke volumes about her opinion on it.

"I mean it!" the fox insisted. "I am a hundred times the perv he could ever DREAM of!"

A vein throbbed dangerously on Naruto's temple. "Don't tell me that Shippou, or else I'll make you a girl."

Smirking triumphantly, he replied, "That won't stop me from appreciating feminine flesh."

"You're right, it won't," the blonde agreed, but then she bared her own canines threateningly, "Unless I put a seal on you that only attract very UGLY women towards you. Maybe some sumo wrestlers and grandmas, too."

Shippou went pallid, and almost hyperventilated at the thought. His erotic fantasies and harems...GONE...to be replaced by his worst nightmare! He'd rather die!

Grinning sunnily, Naruto stood up and went over to pat the male on the cheek like a doting aunt. "Oh, don't worry Ship-Ship. I won't do that to you," the fox demon gave her a skeptical face, "_if_, and I mean _if_, you don't become a second Miroku." The shinobi's eyes held a malevolent glint as she poked Shippou's cheek. "I know you love women, but hold back a lil', would you? I don't want you having two girlfriends at once." Shippou nodded franticly in agreement. Only God knew how _vindictive_ Naruto could be when absolutely pissed off.

But just as the woman was about to leave for the exit, the fox demon couldn't resist, and commented gleefully, "So...who gave you that hickey, Naruto?"

The woman jerked at that, turning a very light pink. Uncharacteristically, she squeaked out a response, "What!"

Giving the embarrassed blonde a sly grin, Shippou repeated, "Who gave you that hickey on your neck?"

Naruto's right hand immediately clamped down on the side of her neck that Past-Sesshoumaru had kissed on. Her pink face evolved to a more scarlet color, and steam was coming out of her head. Seeing Shippou take joy in her humiliation, Naruto bristled angrily and hissed, "None of your business!"

Mockingly nodding at her, the fox demon said, "Uh-huh, I understand." Really, he _did _understand; being Sesshoumaru's constant companion let him into a lot of things, especially secret ones.

Warily eyeing him with a scowl, Naruto quickly left the establishment, leaving Shippou to laugh at her departure.

* * *

Into the third day of her break, the weather was utterly dreary and filled with gray clouds. It was a fitting picture for a day such as this.

"Kagome-neechan, hurry up!" Souta shouted in the midst of his down trek to the bottom of the shrine staircase. Mama and Grandpa were both standing at the bottom, both holding packed lunches and carefully packaged offerings for a grave. At the top of the staircase, Naruto and Kagome were standing by the Goshinboku, the raven-haired girl crouching as she prayed in front of the tree, while the blonde waited behind her with arms crossed.

"Let's go, 'Gome," the shinobi spoke softly. Today, the woman was unnaturally subdued; something only her friends at home had witnessed when the Third and Jiraiya died. But she thought it was appropriate to be this way, seeing how much this day meant to the Higurashi family.

* * *

At the Tokyo cemetery, the small family crowded around a small, stone grave, each taking a turn to pray and burn incense. Naruto noticed how calm the surrounding seemed to be, despite the dull weather, and felt a chill running down her spine.

After paying her respects for the dead, the blonde sidled off to the side, slowing edging away to a wide tree that gave her enough shadows to blend in with. Even though Naruto had many loved ones she called family, she never felt comfortable intruding on her friends' family matters. She may call Hinata, Neji, Sakura, Kiba, and etcetera brothers and sisters; but she felt out of place when they were with their own families, and the Higurashis were no different.

Leaning against the tree trunk, Naruto noticed a flicker of silver from the corner of her eyes. Focusing on that odd illumination, her sharp gaze could make out Present-Sesshoumaru wearing a gray suit, holding a bouquet of red roses that faced downward as he held it at his side. He took long and silent strides towards a really aged tree that looked like the Goshinboku. Naruto carefully faded into the shadows to follow, not minding the drops of water that steadily began to pour from the sky.

* * *

Soon, a moderate downpour of rain covered the cemetery, but a drenched Sesshoumaru didn't care. He had been kneeling down in from of the Goshinboku-like tree for over an hour, and still hadn't moved from his spot. He didn't even acknowledge the presence of Naruto behind him, who chose to stand and wait. The bouquet of flowers he had brought was laid in front of the tree's roots, petals slowly detaching themselves from their stems to the cold ground.

Naruto just watched him get lost in thought like Kakashi-sensei would, holding an orange umbrella to shield her from the rain. She would have given Sesshoumaru cover as well; but when Kakashi-sensei was like this, he preferred to be left undisturbed in company, so she thought the daiyoukai would like the same. She wouldn't even ask how the hell the demon had gotten his other arm back, which was something she should've noticed months ago.

Besides, once either man was finished brooding, they would need a hand in returning to reality, and Naruto felt like she should be the one to do it. Whenever Kakashi-sensei was stuck in limbo, she had to literally smack the daylights out of him to come back in one piece, so why not do it to Sesshoumaru too?

A minute later, Sesshoumaru finally stood up, but didn't turn around to face her. Feeling that it was safe to speak, Naruto asked softly, "Did I...know that person?"

The daiyoukai was quiet for awhile before replying with equal softness, "...Yes." He took his time to turn away from the makeshift grave; and when his gold pupils met cerulean blue, his heart clenched painfully. The rain made his bangs stick to his face, but he didn't care, so Naruto took it upon herself to gently brush the wet strands away. Not even registering her new haircut, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and relished in her fingers' warmth, no matter how short it was. When he decided to open his lids, Naruto had taken one of his glamoured, cold hands and wrapped it around her umbrella handle.

Smiling encouragingly, the blonde squeezed Sesshoumaru's clammy hand, and turned away to run back to the Higurashi family. Water slowly dripped from Sesshoumaru's bangs as his emotionless façade cracked a little. His haunted eyes glinted with sorrow and longing as he stared at the retreating form of Naruto. She was so carefree and content now, but he didn't know how he'd deal with the anguished and miserable look the woman would have on her features when the time came...again. Would his regret and pain hurt him so that he would break in thousands of pieces? He was the Lord of the Western Lands, that hadn't changed, but how could he keep being a lord if that female made him feel so _weak_ and helpless? He, someone who many feared and respected, felt so off-balance; and it because of a _mortal _female.

The pit-pattering of rain still hadn't disturbed him, even as he was left alone in the gloomy silence. Sesshoumaru continued to gaze at the slowly disappearing forms of Naruto and the miko's family, his heart aching when he could no longer see _her _anymore, scent _her_ anymore, or feel _her_ anywhere. An almost ageless being like himself didn't know how much more he could take any longer. He had to endure five hundred years without _her, _only to have the younger counterpart of the shinobi make her debut, and might as well brace himself to lose _her _all over again.

Was this his punishment for the mistake he had made all those years ago? Was this the curse of _that _female's blood on his claws? Perhaps he deserved this agony, or maybe something more terrible than this. No matter what happened, he ALWAYS never forgave himself for holding his sword against _her_.

A part of himself vehemently protested in self-defense. 'It couldn't be helped.' 'There was no other choice.' 'It had to be done or else.' So many excuses he made, but none comforted him in his guilt.

It was excruciatingly painful to simply _know_ what he knew about _her _fate. As much as he'd love to change it, releasing the information may as well make _her _despise him.

* * *

The rain quickly transformed to a thick screen of bullets, and brought Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts enough to glance back at the tree once more. Laying a tender hand against the old bark, he croaked brokenly, "You should have killed me instead. I broke our promise. It throbs agonizingly to see the counterpart around me. It only serves to drive the sword through my soul deeper than before... I miss you, you insufferable woman." No one would probably have believed it, but the great and mighty Sesshoumaru silently mourned for his five-hundred-year-old blunders.

The wind howled and raged and lightning danced according to his mood, but the daiyoukai didn't care. All he knew was that he was alone to wallow and submerge himself in a timeless misery.

* * *

**Hey, sorry for the long wait. I felt like taking a short vacation.**

**Btw, when Sess. Talks about **_**her**_**, it's not only about one person; he sees different people as one being, '**_**her**_**'.**

**I also forgot, since I haven't watched or read Inuyasha for a long time, Sesshoumaru has TWO arms in the end. I really can't believe I forgot that. I'll try to incorporate that w/ the Present-Sesshoumaru scenes from now on. And probably get Naruto to talk about it.**


End file.
